This book describes the thematic and structural traits of a recent and popular development within the realm of anime: series adapted from visual novels. Visual novels are interactive fiction games in which players creatively control decisions and pl…
While offering a comprehensive review of existing Klimt criticism, this book aims to shed new light on the artist's output by arguing that his works challenge a number of established boundaries, thereby performing a continual crossing of thresholds.…
The Gothic Vision examines a broad range of tales of horror, terror, the uncanny and the supernatural, spanning the late eighteenth century to the present, and of related theoretical approaches to the realm of dark writing. Dani Cavallaro argues tha…
English painter John William Waterhouse (1849-1917) communicates his distinctive aesthetic vision through his use of color. Throughout his career, he experimented with color as an element with seemingly spatial qualities. His works have an unusual f…
This study explores the relationship between synaesthesia - the experience of a sensation in one perceptual domain triggering a sensation in another perceptual domain - and the arts (including painting, photography, music and literature). Its aim is…
"French Feminist Theory" offers an introduction to the key concepts and themes in French feminist thought, both the materialist and the linguistic/psychoanalytic traditions. These are explored through the work of a wide range of theorists. The book…
This text presents a theory of what dress means in relation to the body. Identity relies on boundaries to individuate the self. Dress challenges boundaries: it frames the body and serves both to distinguish and connect self and "Other". It argues th…
French Feminist Theory offers an introduction to the key concepts and themes in French feminist thought, both the materialist and the linguistic/psychoanalytic traditions. These are explored through the work of a wide range of theorists: Simone de B…
Angela Carter, a prolific author who worked in numerous genres, remains one of the most important British writers of the last century. She was particularly renowned for her investigation of cultural mythologies, which shape our lives but which we of…
Since its debut manga RG Veda, CLAMP has steadily asserted itself as one of the most widely renowned teams of manga artists, leaving a durable imprint in every established genre while also devising novel formulas along the way. Endowed not only with…
Cyberpunk and Cyberculture explores the work of a wide range of writers- Acker, Cadigan, Rucker, Shierley, Sterling, Williams and, of course, Gibson - setting their work in the context of science fiction, other literary genres, genre cinema - from M…
This study addresses the relationship between Japanese aesthetics, a field steeped in philosophy and traditional knowledge, and anime, a prominent part of contemporary popular culture. There are three premises: (1) the abstract concepts promoted by…
Kyoto Animation is a studio that, having risen from very humble beginnings, has gained recognition the world over as a uniquely inspired and inventive enterprise. This book examines Kyoto Animation's philosophy and creative vision with close referen…
Ranging from Chretien de Troyes to Shakespeare, this study proposes that the chivalric romance is characterized by a centerless structure, a self-conscious fictionality and a sense of irony. The genre's form is tied to historical reality, yet repres…
Formed by a small group of university students in the early 1980s, Studio Gainax is now one of the most adventurous and widely esteemed anime companies on the scene. Although the company's immense popularity is a factor that of itself could justify…
The topos of memory has played a significant role in anime over the course of its evolution as an art form and as a popular form of entertainment. Anime's handling of memory is multifaceted, bringing it into collusion with diverse symbolic motifs, n…
The body has been the focus of much recent critical attention, but the clothed body less so. In answering the need to theorize dress, this book provides an overview of recent scholarship and presents an original theory of what dress means in relatio…
This critical text focuses on the ways in which fundamental principles of the fairy tale tradition are deployed, and hence come to manifest themselves narratively and cinematographically, in anime. Topics covered include modes of storytelling, aesth…
This text examines the artistic development of anime, from its origins as a subset of the Japanese film industry to its modern-day status as one of the most popular forms of animation worldwide. Chapter one provides a discussion of the history of an…
"This book is an analytical survey of Oshii's cinematic works from the early years of his career through his 21st-century productions. The author examines Oshii productions in relation to the Carnivalesque movement, technopolitics and the director's…
Exploring a selection of anime adaptations of famous works of both Eastern and Western provenance, this book is concerned with appreciating their significance and appeal as independent texts. The author evaluates three aspects of anime adaptation--h…
Anime, hand-drawn or computer-animated Japanese cartoons, appears in television series, films, video, video games, and commercials, and represents most genres of fiction. This critical study explores anime's relationship with art from a twofold pers…
The Gothic Vision examines a broad range of tales of horror, terror, the uncanny and the supernatural, spanning the late-eighteenth century to the present, and of related theoretical approaches to the realm of dark writing. It argues that such narra…
"This work considers the visual conventions of Japanese comic books and animated films, Miyazaki's early foray into comic books and animation, the Studio Ghibli era, and the company's development. It analyzes all of Miyazaki's productions between 19…
Once a favorite of mainly art house audiences, Hayao Miyazaki's films have enjoyed increasing exposure in the West since his Spirited Away won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2003. The award signaled a turning point for Miyazaki's Studio Ghib…
This radical, new book brings together the key concepts, issues and debates in critical and cultural theory today. Each chapter presents a self-contained analysis of each concept as well providing a range of discussion questions and further reading.…
Hayao Miyazaki has gained worldwide recognition as a leading figure in the history of animation, alongside Walt Disney, Milt Kahl, Tex Avery, Chuck Jones, Yuri Norstein and John Lasseter. In both his films and his writings, Miyazaki invites us to re…
