ABSTRACT
Characters are central to our experiences of screened fictions and invite a host of questions. The contributors to Screening Characters draw on archival material, interviews, philosophical inquiry, and conceptual analysis in order to give new, thought-provoking answers to these queries. Providing multifaceted accounts of the nature of screen characters, contributions are organized around a series of important subjects, including issues of class, race, ethics, and generic types as they are encountered in moving image media. These topics, in turn, are personified by such memorable figures as Cary Grant, Jon Hamm, Audrey Hepburn, and Seul-gi Kim, in addition to avatars, online personalities, animated characters, and the ensembles of shows such as The Sopranos, Mad Men, and Breaking Bad.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part 1|57 pages
the importance of actors
part 2|52 pages
social types, social contexts
chapter 5|17 pages
the mark of the social
part 3|61 pages
medium-specific features and constraints
part 4|59 pages
emotional and moral engagement
chapter 12|22 pages
absorbed character engagement
chapter 13|17 pages
“familiarity breeds contempt”
part 5|55 pages
the character within genre