Pervert in the Pulpit: Morality in the Works of David Lynch (Paperback)

by Jeff Johnson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
This is a very strong study… Johnson writes with force and point… not a crude hatchet job… clear-sighted and informed. -- Film and History, vol. 35.2 (2005)

Product Description
Filmmaker David Lynch’s work is viewed here as patriotic and Puritanical. This Lynch is an idealistic conservative on a reformer’s mission. Lynch promotes a return to the values inherent in a mythological America, but he indulges in a voyeuristic pleasure which he simultaneously condemns. Like Jeffrey peeking through the slats of Dorothy’s closet in Blue Velvet, the viewer of Lynch’s work is a rationalist plagued by his dreams; intrigued and repulsed, fascinated and judgmental, he both craves and resists cultural assimilation. Works presented include all features from Eraserhead to Mulholland Drive, shorts such as The Amputee and The Grandmother, and contributions to television such as Hotel Room and, of course, Twin Peaks.

This study develops an idea of Lynch’s politics, analyzes his work, and explores Lynch’s paradox of condemning an immoral world through disturbing images and concepts, and touches on such points as the identifiable figure of evil in his works as well as the archetypes of the nymphet, well-meaning traditionalist, and struggling ethicist. Also included are a history of moralistic criticism in American literature and a review of existing Lynch criticism within this context.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company (March 4, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786417536
• ISBN-13: 978-0786417537
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,697,509 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Iconoclasm is fine and dandy..., December 29, 2005

By	Sheli Ayers (Stockton, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I suppose each new micro-generation of film students must kill its father. However, this book is, sadly, boring. It is boring because it focuses on the content of the films, whereas what makes Lynch's films interesting and unconservative are their form (which has become increasingly anti-narrative) and visual qualities. Furthermore, most of his films clearly depict the deep well of misery beneath middle-class American values. It is true that there is something retro about Lynch, and specifically some of his moral scenarios remind me of old melodramas. Clearly, melodrama was a hugely conservative genre; its whole point was to tell women that any deviation from cookie-cutter domesticity would destroy them and their families.
However, melodrama is also a fascinating genre, and I don't think we should confuse Lynch's somewhat nostalgic (albeit questioning) quotation of melodrama and other forms of Americana for the thing itself.

"Mainstream" critics tend not to be very sophisticated about either film form or politics, so I am mystified why Johnson's conformity to mainstream critical opinion is regarded by some of the reviewers on this site as a selling point. I can only assume that Johnson's book succeeds in tapping into the anti-intellectualism of our culture, and THAT'S what I would call conservative.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars proof in the pudding, June 29, 2006

By	jackson (atlanta) - See all my reviews

The reactions of readers to Pervert in the Pulpit say it all. Anyone interested in Lynch should be engaging this book, not dismissing it. Some reviewers call it liberal, others nihilist, some say it is completely wrong and others thoroughly convincing - the sure sign of a must read. I don't agree with all of it, but I cannot watch any of Lynch's films again without thinking of Johnson's argument. The way he frames Lynch's hyper-morality does indicate an ideology as Lynchian as the weird images and funky stories that have become Lynch's trademarks. Labels certainly can't contain or diminish Johnson's critique. Read this book, if just to argue with it.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AN INTELLIGENT LYNCH BOOK, May 17, 2004

By A Customer

I strongly disagree with the reviewer from NY. This book is definitely NOT "pointless" though I can see why die-hard Lynch fans might get a bit miffed by Johnson's presentation of Lynch as a conservative. This book actually analyses ALL of his films from a literary perspective -- I like especially his Nietzschean slant on the early experimental films. It's not a vehicle to glorify Lynch but it certainly acknowledges his allure and his achievement. I think it's a must-read for serious students of cinema.