Movies and the Meaning of Life

By Paul Tudico and Kimberly A. Blessing

Book Overview

"The meaning of life is the most urgent of questions," said the existentiallist thinker Albert Camus. And no less a philosopher than Woody Allen has wondered: "How is it possible to find meaning in a finite world, given my waist and shirt size?"
"Movies and the Meaning of Life" looks at popular and cult movies, examining their assumptions and insights on meaning-of-life questions: What is reality and how can I know it? (The Truman Show, Contact, Waking Life); How do I find myself and my true identity? (Fight Club, Being John Malkovich, Boys Don't Cry, Memento); How do I find meaning from my interactions with others? (Pulp Fiction, Shadowlands, Chasing Amy); What is the chief purpose in life? (American Beauty, Life is Beautiful, The Shawshank Redemption); and How ought I live my life? (Pleasantville, Spiderman, Minority Report, Groundhog Day).

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812695755
• ISBN13: 9780812695755
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: Open Court
• Length: 302 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.2" x 9.2"