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The Pulse in Cinema: The Aesthetics of Horror by Sharon Jane Mee PDF



When we think of the pulse in cinema, we may think of the heartbeat of the spectator as they respond to affective or moving scenes in the film, or how fast-paced and shocking images exacerbate this affective response. Conceptually extending cinema spectatorship, The Pulse in Cinema contends that cinema is an energetic arrangement of affective and intense forces, where the image and the spectator are specific components. Analysing body horror films such as The Tingler (1959), Dawn of the Dead (1978) and The Beyond (1981), this book builds on Lyotard’s concept of the dispositif, Deleuze’s work on sensation and Bataille’s economic theory to conceptualise a pulse in cinema, arguing for its importance in cinema spectatorship theory.



Review

In this book, Sharon Mee gives a bold new account of the power of cinema. Movies both enthrall us and unsettle us. The Pulse in Cinema works through this double allure, and offers us a profound meditation on what aesthetic experience might mean in the twenty-first century.



-- Steven Shaviro, DeRoy Professor of Englis, Wayne State University



From the Back Cover

‘In this book, Sharon Jane Mee gives a bold new account of the power of cinema. Movies both enthrall us and unsettle us. The Pulse in Cinema works through this double allure, and offers us a profound meditation on what aesthetic experience might mean in the twenty-first century.’ Steven Shaviro, DeRoy Professor of English, Wayne State University When we think of the pulse in cinema, we may think of the heartbeat of the spectator as they respond to affective or moving scenes in the film, or how fast-paced and shocking images exacerbate this physiological response. Conceptually extending film spectatorship, The Pulse in Cinema contends that cinema is an energetic arrangement of affective and intense forces, where the image and the spectator are specific components. Analysing body horror films such as The Tingler (1959), Dawn of the Dead (1978) and The Beyond (1981), this book builds on Lyotard’s concept of the dispositif, Deleuze’s work on sensation and Bataille’s economic theory to conceptualise a pulse in cinema. A concept of the pulse is an evolution in our understanding of the aesthetics and economy of cinema.



About the Author

Dr Sharon Jane Mee is Adjunct Lecturer in Screen Studies at the University of New South Wales.



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