V For Vendetta As Cultural Pastiche: A Critical Study of the Graphic Novel and Film (Paperback)

~ (Author)

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Product Description

The 2005 James McTeigue and Wachowski Brothers film V for Vendetta represents a postmodern pastiche, a collection of fragments pasted together from the original Moore and Lloyd graphic novel of the same name, along with numerous allusions to literature, history, cinema, music, art, politics, and medicine. Paralleling the graphic novel, the film simultaneously reflects a range of authorial contributions and influences. This work examines in detail the intersecting texts of V for Vendetta. Subjects include the alternative dimensions of the cinematic narrative, represented in the film s conspicuous placement of the painting The Lady of Shalott in V s home; the film s overt allusions to the AIDS panic of the 1980s; and the ways in which antecedent narratives such as Terry Gilliam s Brazil, Huxley s Brave New World, and Bradbury s Fahrenheit 451 represent shadow texts frequently crossing through the overall V for Vendetta narrative.

About the Author

James R. Keller is a professor and chair of the English and Theatre Department at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky. He is the author of Food, Film and Culture (2006), Queer (Un)Friendly Film and Television (2002) and Anne Rice and Sexual Politics (2000). With Leslie Stratyner he is coeditor of Fantasy Fiction into Film (2007), The New Queer Aesthetic on Television (2006) and Almost Shakespeare (2004).

Product Details

• Paperback: 247 pages
• Publisher: McFarland (February 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786434678
• ISBN-13: 978-0786434671
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,109,382 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing look at V FOR VENDETTA, September 12, 2008

By	Robert Markham "R. Markham" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

Jame R. Keller's V FOR VENDETTA AS CULTURAL PASTICHE is, sadly, not a particularly insightful read. And what a shame that is. It's always wonderful to see critical looks at some of the more neglected pieces of work, and the work of Alan Moore is always worth a look.

But despite the title and his opening comments in the text, Keller predominantly analyzes the Wachowski/McTeigue film adaptation, and leaves Moore's graphic novel pretty neglected. This is a rather poor choice, given that the Wachowski's film is so heavy-handed, obvious and shallow so that Keller has to strain for insights beyond what is immediately observable.

It's a shame, since there is a wealth of idea and analysis just waiting to be done on the graphic novel's rather complex narrative. It would have made for a far interesting critical study if Moore's graphic novel had been the focus, and not the Wachowski/McTeigue film.