New Book: "Screening Generation X: The Politics and Popular Memory of Youth in Contemporary Cinema"

"Screening Generation X: The Politics and Popular Memory of Youth in Contemporary Cinema" (Ashgate Publishing, 2010).

"Screening Generation X: The Politics and Popular Memory of Youth in Contemporary Cinema" examines popular representations of Generation X in American and British film. In arguing that the various constructions of youth are marked by major cultural shifts and societal inequalities, it analyzes the iconic "Gen X" figures ranging from the slacker, the teenage time traveler and third wave feminists, to the oeuvre of Molly Ringwald and Richard Linklater.

This book explores the important cultural work performed by films that mediate the experiences of Generation X and critiques the ongoing marginalization of the youth who struggle to find their identity and a voice in increasingly unstable times. Specific analyses of such films as "Pump Up the Volume", "The Breakfast Club", "Heathers", "Donnie Darko" and "Waking Life" are used to illustrate the research.

Contents: Introduction; The subcultural style of Generation X; Rebels with a cause: popular youth cinema, unpopular politics; Taking out the trash: the politics of remembering (and forgetting) Molly Ringwald; Girl power: the politics of pop; Violent femmes: angry girls in youth cinema; Club casualties: go-go(ing) girls of rave; Boys to men and back again: the historian and the time traveler; Another sunrise, another sunset: beyond Generation X; Conclusion: thanks for the good times, where to now?; Bibliography; Filmography; Discography; Index.

About the Author: Christina Lee is Lecturer in Communication and Cultural Studies at Curtin University of Technology (Perth, Western Australia).

Reviews: 'Christina Lee has produced a brilliant analysis of how youth are produced and situated in complex ways within the representational practices of film. Anyone concerned about the state of youth and the journey that has been taken to produce contemporary attitudes, practices, and possibilities should read and thoroughly enjoy Screening Generation X.' ~ Henry A. Giroux, McMaster University, USA ~

For further information, please visit the following link:
http://www.ashgate.com/isbn/9780754649731

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Dr Christina Lee
Lecturer, Communication & Cultural Studies
Curtin University of Technology
Faculty of Humanities
School of Media, Culture and Creative Arts
GPO Box U1987
Perth WA 6845
Australia