Shows About Nothing: Nihilism in Popular Culture from the Exorcist to Seinfeld (Hardcover)

by Thomas S. Hibbs (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Hibbs has a resplendent knowledge of, and a chagrined appreciation for, popular culture. -- Weekly Standard

The best way to understand the influence of Nietzsche on popular culture. -- Boundless webzine

This is cultural analysis at a high level, and we need more of it. -- National Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
While the movies of Frank Capra once celebrated the triumph of good over evil, George Bailey has given way to Hannibal Lecter, who through raw power and bold creativity lives "beyond good and evil." Professor Hibbs follows the trajectory of evil in American film and television, linking it to the spread of nihilism-a state of spiritual impoverishment and shrunken aspirations to which, both Tocqueville and Nietzsche warned, democracies are especially susceptible. The most recent product of Hollywood's fascination with evil is the comic nihilism of Seinfeld, in which the distinctively American pursuit of happiness is endlessly frustrated by dark forces beyond our understanding or control.

Professor Hibbs probes the themes and artistry of the landmark works of the cinematic quest for evil. A series of grisly films from The Exorcist to Cape Fear and Silence of the Lambs reveals a preoccupation with the power of evil. When evil ceases to terrify, it becomes banal, producing a comic view of the meaninglessness of life (Forrest Gump, Natural Born Killers, Titanic, The Simpsons). Seinfeld and Trainspotting represent nihilism's last stage, but not the last word, and Professor Hibbs considers how classical ideals-partially recovered in recent comedy (Pulp Fiction) and film noir (L.A. Confidential, Seven)-might point the way out of nihilism.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Spence Publishing Company (December 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1890626171
• ISBN-13: 978-1890626174
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,362,061 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fresh perspective on movies and TV, January 10, 2000

By A Customer

Hibbs has the first fresh perspective on film and TV that I've encountered in a long time. Debates about the entertainment industry are usually so polarized-with "Hollywood vs. America" types on one side and "freedom of expression" types on the other-that they don't get very far. Hibbs' book is different, and anyone who presumes he knows what Hibbs has to say is probably wrong.

When academic philosophers write about pop culture, they're often so abstract and vague it's hard to believe they know what they are talking about. Again, Hibbs is different. His erudition is an asset, and the book is a good read. He understands these films on their deepest level-much better than the average professional film critic. His criticism is balanced: he appreciates the craft and artistry of films and TV shows even when he disagrees with their message. And he surprised me with favorable judgments of films I thought he would not like, though his explanations show that his reasoning is consistent.

The book is on the short side (less than 200 pages) and ends abruptly, and I wish Hibbs had said more about what our (and his own) affinity for these films and shows reveals about us. But I don't consider this a serious defect. His book compelling, and I plan to read it a second time after I've watched a few of these films-and Seinfeld reruns-again.

41 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An eye-opening expose of our Nihilistic culture, August 13, 2001

By	Robert Knetsch "Wanna-be theologian" (Toronto, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

Nihilism comes in many forms, a natural result of the democratic liberalism that our culture has enshrined in its desire for individual self-actualization. Such is the assessment of Thomas Hibbs in "Shows About Nothing". In his inimitably prescient perspective, Hibbs sees this reflection of Nietschian thought especially predominant in the kind of entertainment that we watch.

In a particularly rigourous way, we are shown how seemingly disparate films or TV shows exhibit ways that we have approached issues of Good and Evil, ultimately indicating our collective agreement that there is little meaning in either term; instead we are subjected to coincidences and the capricious desires of a dark God who often makes lilfe one great comedy of the absurd. Hibbs shows the link between a movie like Pulp Fiction and Seinfeld, two sides of the same nihilistic coin.

The reader is left wondering where we will go next, once evil is merely and banal as goodness, and God is relegated to a being conspiring to make us unhappy and evil is always just around the corner.

At times Hibbs writes in a way that does not make his point clear. It is not always obvious if he approves of the film or movie he is discussing; on the other hand, perhaps his very ambiguity is indicative of the very problem we face.

What is remarkable is that Hibbs cannot contain his clearly Christian perspective. It is refreshing to see a Christian write a thoroughly engaging and scholarly analysis of where our culture is at. With the death of God comes comic meaninglessness and quests for meanings that ultimately have no end. He convinces us that we may indeed be Nietsche's last men.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good, September 1, 2005

By	Craig Scott (Cary, NC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Shows About Nothing: Nihilism in Popular Culture from The Exorcist to Seinfeld (Paperback)

If you have any knowledge of modern philosophy you will probably find this book an engaging application of Nietzsche in pop culture. Otherwise you may have some trouble getting into it. I liked it well enough but I have read better (Neil Postman and Roger Scruton come to mind). The book will become dated as the examples used pass away into the forgotten archives of memory. But for now it does the trick.

I agree with the theory that influential philosophy (such as Nietzsche) eventually trickles down from its lofty intellectual heights to the lowest levels of society. From the episodes of popular film and TV the author teases out the underlying philosophic assumptions our culture has accepted. Some are overt but many operate below our personal radar--we simply take it for granted.

Overall the book was like a very long but very good film criticism. Fun.