Screening Generation X: The Politics and Popular Memory of Youth in Contemporary Cinema

by Christina Lee

Overview

Screening Generation X: The Politics and Popular Memory of Youth in Contemporary Cinema examines popular representations of Generation X in American and British film. In arguing that the various constructions of youth are marked by major cultural shifts and societal inequalities, it analyzes the iconic 'Gen X' figures ranging from the slacker, the teenage time traveller, and third wave feminists, to the oeuvre of Molly Ringwald and Richard Linklater. This book explores the important cultural work performed by films that mediate the experiences of Generation X and critiques the ongoing marginalization of the youth who struggle to find their identity and a voice in increasingly unstable times. Specific analyses of such films as Pump Up the Volume, The Breakfast Club, Heathers, Donnie Darko and Waking Life are used to illustrate the research.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780367602949
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	06/30/2020
Pages:	194
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Christina Lee is Lecturer in Communication and Cultural Studies at Curtin University of Technology (Perth, Western Australia).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

List of Illustrations ix

Introduction 1

1 The Subcultural Style of Generation X 11

2 Rebels with a Cause: Popular Youth Cinema, Unpopular Politics 27

3 Taking Out the Trash: The Politics of Remembering (and Forgetting) Molly Ringwald 43

4 Girl Power: The Politics of Pop 59

5 Violent Femmes: Angry Girls in Youth Cinema 77

6 Club Casualties: Go-Go(ing) Girls of Rave 95

7 Boys to Men and Back Again: The Historian and the Time Traveler 111

8 Another Sunrise, Another Sunset: Beyond Generation X 133

Conclusion: Thanks for the Good Times, Where to Now? 151

Bibliography 155

Filmography 171

Index 175

Editorial Reviews

'Christina Lee has produced a brilliant analysis of how youth is produced and situated in complex ways within the representational practices of film. Anyone concerned about the state of youth and the journey that has been taken to produce contemporary attitudes, practices, and possibilities should read and thoroughly enjoy Screening Generation X.' Henry A. Giroux, McMaster University, Canada

From the Publisher