Jacking in to the Matrix franchise : cultural reception and interpretation / edited by Matthew Kapell and William G. Doty.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Kapell, Matthew.

Doty, William G., 1939-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Matrix (Motion picture).

Physical Description:

xiv, 215 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Continuum, 2004.

Summary:

There have already been several very successful books devoted to the original film in the Matrix trilogy. This entirely new collection of essays is the first book to examine the trilogy as a whole - as well as related products such as The Animatrix and the computer game. Contributors tackle these subjects from a range of perspectives: religion, philosophy, gender, race, film studies, and science, providing a comprehensive view of everything Matrix-related.Reviewing the cultural and religious implications of the trilogy, authors look at: * American Religion, Community and Revitilization: Why The Matrix Resonates* Religion and Salvation, the Optiate of The Matrix Franchise* Gimme that Bullet Time Religion, or, The Dream of Spiritually Perfect Violence* Ultimate Reality: Buddhist and Gnostic Constructions of BlissAlso covered are theories of cyberworlds, issues of gender and race and the games and ethics of simulation.

Contents:

The deeper we go, the more complex and sophisticated the franchise seems, and the dizzier we feel / William G. Doty

Welcome to the sexual spectacle: the female heroes in the franchise / Martina Lipp

Is Neo white? reading race, watching the trilogy / C. Richard King and David J. Leonard

Religion, community, and revitalization: why cinematic myth resonates / Richard R. Jones

Story, product, franchise: images of postmodern cinema / Bruce Isaacs and Theodore Louis Trost

Fascist redemption or democratic hope? / John Shelton Lawrence

Stopping bullets: constructions of bliss and problems of violence / Frances Flannery-Dailey and Rachel L. Wagner

The déjà vu glitch in the Matrix trilogy / Michael Sexson

Visions of hope, freedom of choice, and the alleviation of social misery: a pragmatic reading of the Matrix franchise / Stephanie J. Wilhelm and Matthew Kapell

Biomorph: the posthuman thing / Gray Kochhar-Lindgren

Strange volutions: the Matrix franchise as a posthuman memento mori / Tim Mizelle and Elizabeth Baker

Try the blue pill: what's wrong with life in a simulation? / Russell Blackford

At the edge of the world, again / Matthew Kapell.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0826415873

0826415881

OCLC:

54279998