Initially regarded as a cult figure with a strong following amongst sci-fi and horror film fans, Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg emerged as a major and commercially viable film director with mainstream hits such as A History of Violence (2005) and Eastern Promises (2007). With his unique ability to present imagery that is both disturbing and provocative, Cronenberg creates striking films, noteworthy not just for their cinematic beauty but also for the philosophical questions they raise. The Philosophy of David Cronenberg examines Cronenberg’s body of work, from his breakthrough Scanners (1981) through his most recognizable films such as The Fly (1986) and more recent works. Editor Simon Riches and a collaboration of scholars introduce the filmmaker’s horrific storylines and psychologically salient themes that reveal his pioneering use of the concept of ‘body horror, ‘ as well as his continued aim to satirize the modern misuse of science and technology. The Philosophy of David Cronenberg also explores the mutation of self, authenticity and the human mind, as well as language and worldviews. While Cronenberg’s films have moved from small-market cult classics to mainstream successes, his intriguing visions of humanity and the self endure.
Tabla de materias
The Fly and the Human: Ironies of Disgust
Tragedy and Terrible Beauty in Two Recent Cronenberg Films
Cronenberg as Scientist: Anti-essentialism, Sex as Remixing, and the View from Nowhere
What happens to Brundle? Problems of Teleportation and Personal Identity in The Fly
e Xisten Zial Angst
Freaks of Nature: Extra-Sensory Perception and the Paranormal in the Films of David Cronenberg
Deception and Disorder: Unraveling Cronenberg’s Divided Minds
Psychological Determinism in the Films of David Cronenberg
Self-Creation, Identity and Authenticity: A Study of A History of Violence and Eastern Promises
The Fiction of Truth in Fiction: Some Reflections on Semantics and e Xisten Z
Re(ct)ifying Empty Speech: Cronenberg and the Problem of the First Person
The Politics of Mad Science in The Fly and Dead Ringers
From ‘Impassioned Morality’ to ‘Bloodless Agnosticism’: A Philosophy of David Cronenberg Through the Burroughs/Ballard Axis
Sobre el autor
Simon Riches is a researcher at the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London. He previously taught philosophy at University College London and Heythrop College, University of London. He holds a Ph D in philosophy from University College London and has also studied philosophy at the University of Southampton and psychology at the University of East London. His research interests lie in epistemology and the philosophy of psychology. He is a contributing author in UPKY’s The Philosophy of David Lynch.