Why We Watch: The Attractions of Violent Entertainment

by Jeffrey Goldstein

Overview

Why We Watch is the first book to offer a careful look at why we are drawn to depictions of violence and why there is so large a market for violent entertainment. This arresting collection of essays examines the presence of violent imagery not just in contemporary America but across time, from classical antiquity to the present, and not only in film and television but in a fascinating array of cultural domains, including literature, religion, fairy tales, video games, children's toys, photojournalism, and sports. Why We Watch addresses a crucial but rarely considered aspect of the media-violence problem: Why is violent imagery so prevalent? The distinguished contributors, hailing from fields such as anthropology, history, literary theory, psychology, communications, and film criticism, include Allen Guttmann, Vicki Goldberg, Maria Tatar, Joanne Cantor, J. Hoberman, Clark McCauley, Maurice Bloch, Dolf Zillmann, and the volume's editor, Jeffrey Goldstein. Together, they aim to define what is distinctive about the culture of violence.

Clear, accessible, and timely, this is a book for all who are concerned with the multiple points of access to violent representation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195118216
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	10/15/1998
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	1400L (what's this?)

About the Author

Professor Jeffrey Goldstein teaches in the Department of Mass Communication and the Department of Social and Organizational Psychology at the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands. A well-known consultant on children and media, he is the author of Psychology: An Introduction (1997), Toys, Play, and Child Development (1994), Aggression and Crimes of Violence (Oxford, 1986), and Sports Violence (1983).

What People are Saying About This

Harold Schechter

"This is an extraordinarily rich and wide-ranging collection of essays on one of the most important and controversial -- subjects of the day. The book is both a trove of information and a consistently fascinating read. I found something provocative on virtually every page." -- Queens College

Editorial Reviews

"This well-researched book offers insightful analyses and extensive references."—Booklist

"At long last we are finally 'fessing up to the obvious: the attraction of pretend violence is deep and broad. The first question we usually ask is how to wean Junior from consuming massive amounts of preposterous violence. However, that should be the last question. The first question is, and Why We Watch: The Attractions of Violent Entertainment boldly asks it: why are violent scenarios so alluring that their delivery and consumption is a major part of American (and international) popular culture? This stuff is not foisted on us; for a time in our lives, we—especially males—actively seek it out. We have pretended otherwise for long enough."—James Twitchell, University of Florida

"This is an extraordinarily rich and wide-ranging collection of essays on one of the most important—and controversial—subjects of the day. The book is both a trove of information and a consistently fascinating read. I found something provocative on virtually every page."—Harold Schechter, Queens College, City University of New York

"Why We Watch is a great read—something I never thought I would say about a scholarly edited volume. Goldstein and his colleagues provide the perfect antidote for the toxic political correctness that has poisoned the atmosphere of aggression studies, and of behavioral science generally. It's not what we'd prefer to be true that counts, but what is true, warts and all. The authors of these essays deserve our thanks for keeping that in view."—Melvin Konner, M.D., Ph.D., author of The Tangled Wing: Biological Constraints on the Human Spirit and Why the Reckless Survive, and Other Secrets of Human Nature

From the Publisher