Menacing Environments
Ecohorror in Contemporary Nordic Cinema
Seiten
2023
University of Washington Press (Verlag)
978-0-295-75164-1 (ISBN)
University of Washington Press (Verlag)
978-0-295-75164-1 (ISBN)
Analyzes a film genre's confrontation of a regional identity
Known for their progressive environmental policies and nature-loving citizens, Nordic countries also produce what may seem a counterintuitive film genre: ecohorror, where distinctions between humans and nature are blurred in unsettling ways. From slashers to arthouse thrillers, transnational Nordic ecohorror films such as Antichrist (dir. Lars von Trier, 2009) and Midsommar (dir. Ari Aster, 2019) have garnered commercial and critical attention, revealing an undercurrent of ecophobia in Nordic culture that belies the region's reputation for environmental friendliness.
In Menacing Environments, Benjamin Bigelow examines how ecohorror rings some of the same alarm bells that climate activists have sounded, suggesting that the proper response to the ongoing climate catastrophe is not optimism and a market-friendly focus on sustainable development, but rather fear and dread. Bigelow argues that ecohorror destabilizes the two pillars of Nordic society—the autonomous individual and the sovereign state. He illustrates how doing away with any clean separation of the domains of human culture from a wild, untamed realm of nature reminds viewers of the complex and often threatening material entanglements between humans and their environments.
Through Bigelow's analysis, ecohorror proves to be a potent vehicle not only for generating a strong affective response in audiences but also for taking on the revered institutions, unquestioned ideological orthodoxies, and claims of cultural exceptionalism in contemporary Nordic societies.
Menacing Environments is freely available in an open access edition thanks to TOME (Toward an Open Monograph Ecosystem) and the generous support of the University of Minnesota.
DOI 10.6069/9780295751658
Known for their progressive environmental policies and nature-loving citizens, Nordic countries also produce what may seem a counterintuitive film genre: ecohorror, where distinctions between humans and nature are blurred in unsettling ways. From slashers to arthouse thrillers, transnational Nordic ecohorror films such as Antichrist (dir. Lars von Trier, 2009) and Midsommar (dir. Ari Aster, 2019) have garnered commercial and critical attention, revealing an undercurrent of ecophobia in Nordic culture that belies the region's reputation for environmental friendliness.
In Menacing Environments, Benjamin Bigelow examines how ecohorror rings some of the same alarm bells that climate activists have sounded, suggesting that the proper response to the ongoing climate catastrophe is not optimism and a market-friendly focus on sustainable development, but rather fear and dread. Bigelow argues that ecohorror destabilizes the two pillars of Nordic society—the autonomous individual and the sovereign state. He illustrates how doing away with any clean separation of the domains of human culture from a wild, untamed realm of nature reminds viewers of the complex and often threatening material entanglements between humans and their environments.
Through Bigelow's analysis, ecohorror proves to be a potent vehicle not only for generating a strong affective response in audiences but also for taking on the revered institutions, unquestioned ideological orthodoxies, and claims of cultural exceptionalism in contemporary Nordic societies.
Menacing Environments is freely available in an open access edition thanks to TOME (Toward an Open Monograph Ecosystem) and the generous support of the University of Minnesota.
DOI 10.6069/9780295751658
Benjamin Bigelow is assistant professor of Scandinavian studies at the University of Minnesota.
| Erscheinungsdatum | 10.07.2023 |
|---|---|
| Reihe/Serie | Menacing Environments |
| Zusatzinfo | 14 b&w illus. |
| Verlagsort | Seattle |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 152 x 229 mm |
| Gewicht | 330 g |
| Themenwelt | Kunst / Musik / Theater ► Film / TV |
| Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Natur / Technik ► Natur / Ökologie | |
| Sozialwissenschaften ► Kommunikation / Medien ► Medienwissenschaft | |
| ISBN-10 | 0-295-75164-9 / 0295751649 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0-295-75164-1 / 9780295751641 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
| Haben Sie eine Frage zum Produkt? |
Mehr entdecken
aus dem Bereich
aus dem Bereich
über 500 faszinierende Gesteine, Minerale, Edelsteine und Fossilien
Buch | Hardcover (2023)
DK Verlag Dorling Kindersley
CHF 39,90
vom Wald her die Welt verstehen. Erstaunliche Erkenntnisse über den …
Buch | Softcover (2023)
Ludwig (Verlag)
CHF 39,20
vollständig aktualisierte Neuausgabe mit den zusätzlichen …
Buch | Softcover (2023)
Westend (Verlag)
CHF 30,80
