Fwd: Book release: _Refocusing Chaplin: A SCreen Icon through Critical Lenses_

From: Larry Howe <[email protected]>

Cross-posted at Film-Philosophy

Of interest to the community (and a shameless plug):

My co-editors, Jim Caron and Ben Click, and I are happy to announce that
Scarecrow Press has just released _Refocusing Chaplin: A Screen Icon
Through Critical Lenses_.   This collection of 10 essays, and an
introduction by Chuck Maland, offers systematic analyses of Chaplin's films
and career through a variety of critical perspectives.

From the publisher  < https://rowman.com/ISBN/978-0-8108-9225-5 >:

Widely recognized in his character of the Tramp, Charlie Chaplin
transcended the role of actor to become screenwriter, director, composer,
producer, and finally studio head. The subject of numerous biographical
studies, Chaplin has been examined as both myth and man, but these
treatments fail to adequately address the often-overlooked complexity of
his filmmaking.

Refocusing Chaplin: A Screen Icon through Critical Lenses features essays
that examine the actor and director through various theoretical
perspectives—including Marxism, feminism, gender studies, deconstruction,
psychoanalytic criticism, new historicism, performance studies, and
cultural criticism. Complementing this range of intellectual inquiry is the
wide reach of films discussed, from The Circus (1928), The Gold Rush
(1925), and City Lights (1931) to Modern Times (1936), The Great Dictator
(1940), Monsieur Verdoux (1947), and Limelight (1952). Shorter films, such
as “The Pawnshop” (1916), “The Rink” (1916), and “A Dog’s Life” (1918) are
also examined.

These essays analyze the tensions between the carefully constructed worlds
of Chaplin’s films and their cultural contexts. The varied approaches and
range of materials in this volume not only comprehensively assess the
screen icon but also foster a conversation that exemplifies the best of
intellectual exchange. Refocusing Chaplin provides a unique view into the
work of one of cinema’s most important and influential artists.


Thanks,

--LH


Larry Howe
Professor of English
Chair, Department of Literature and Languages
Roosevelt University
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