Japan
The theory and appeal of giant Monsters
(Jase Short)
Entertainment
Entertainment is ripe with social
commentary
Communicates with a culture cultural context
of production
We are
shaped by culture
Entertainment
What is the appeal?
Something meaningful takes place ‘between’
takes place ‘between the lines of a text
Frederic Jameson: In- text (jameson,
19811)-
Masters narrative literary theorist must detect
and revel the out lines of this
Corresponds to broader social structures
from which the empirical text derives its meaning
Need to take a perspective on the artists social
context: all texts are inherently politcical and contain some degree of social critique
Joining of this unconscious structure with
the artists drive to ‘say something ‘- to present a critique of her situation.
Specialties Fiction (SF)- meta genre
Sciences fiction and high fantasy (sub
genres)
World building: we rearrange components of
our own world/ shift perspective on it.
Why is speculative fiction so powerful in
this regard?
HG Wells-War of the worlds feeds off British
colonialism
Giant Monster sub genre
Geissbuler- Peace poster
Japanese ‘jaiju eiga’ (‘strange monster
movie)
Had isolated itself from world colonialism
1868- meiji restoration enforced a form of
modernisation
Farmers children forced to leave rural life
and head into cities to work for a wage
Use of atomic weapson on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
(final stage of WW2- japan and Germany were allies – but japan would not
surrender)
America ‘giant monster on the loose’
King kong (capture/relocation), beast from
20000 fathoms (Nuclear accident thaws rhedosaurus), 20 million miles to earth
Large animal, running amok contemporary
setting- unleadshed by human hubris that relocates the monster- pushing it into
realms that it was meant to remain separate from.
Same (masculine technology that unleashed
it is employed to slay it
Rhedosarus radio active isotope.
General wave of the atomic horror emerging in
the 50’s
Cold war/ nuclear threat
Rise of new technologies in post war
economic boom in the USA
Relive tensions of standoff between super
powers- project in to the image of the living giant becomes tangible, manageable,
‘killable more straight forward than abstract qualities.
Giant monster resonated with a uniquely global
capitalist culture.
