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      • Trusted Partner
        The Arts
        February 2009

        The secret life of romantic comedy

        by Celestino Deleyto

        The secret life of romantic comedy offers a new approach to one of the most popular and resilient genres in the history of Hollywood. Steering away from the rigidity and ideological determinism of traditional accounts of the genre, this book advocates a more flexible theory, which allows the student to explore the presence of the genre in unexpected places, extending the concept to encompass films that are not usually considered romantic comedies. Combining theory with detailed analyses of a selection of films, including To Be or Not to Be (1942), Rear Window (1954), Kiss Me Stupid (1964), Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) and Before Sunset (2004), the book aims to provide a practical framework for the exploration of a key area of contemporary experience - intimate matters - through one of its most powerful filmic representations: the genre of romantic comedy. Original and entertaining, The secret life of romantic comedy is perfect for students and academics of film and film genre. ;

      • Trusted Partner
        Film theory & criticism
        July 2013

        Hollywood romantic comedy

        by Kathrina Glitre

      • Trusted Partner
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      • Trusted Partner
        The Arts
        June 2017

        Terry Gilliam

        by Peter Marks

        Terry Gilliam presents a sustained examination of one of cinema's most challenging and lauded auteurs, proposing fresh ways of seeing Gilliam that go beyond reductive readings of him as a gifted but manic fantasist. Analysing Gilliam's work over nearly four decades, from the brilliant anarchy of his Monty Python animations through the nightmarish masterpiece Brazil to the provocative Gothic horror of Tideland, it critically examines the variety and richness of Gilliam's sometimes troubled but always provocative output. The book situates Gilliam within the competing cultural contexts of the British, European and American film industries, examining his regular struggles against aesthetic and commercial pressures. He emerges as a passionate, immensely creative director, whose work encompasses a dizzying array of material: anarchic satire, childhood and adult fantasy, dystopia, romantic comedy, surrealism, road movie, fairy tale and the Gothic. The book charts how Gilliam interweaves these genres and forms to create magical interfaces between reality and the illuminating, frightening but liberating worlds of the imagination. Scrutinising the neglected importance of literature and adaptation in Gilliam's career, this study also observes him through the lenses of auteurism, genre, performance, design and national culture, explaining how someone born in Minnesota and raised in California came to be one of British television and film's most compelling figures.

      • Trusted Partner
        The Arts
        September 2025

        Picturing the Romantic

        New perspectives on European Romanticism(s) in the visual arts

        by Elisabeth Ansel, Johannes Grave, Christin Neubauer, Mira Claire Zadrozny

        European Romanticism in the visual arts has always been defined by transnational transfer processes. It is surprising that international aspects of Romantic movements have been, in contrast to literary studies, a gap in art historical research. Picturing the Romantic addresses this issue and reveals new perspectives on European Romanticism(s) in the visual arts by reconsidering the phenomenon's traditional canon, geographical dimensions and terminology and analysing various examples of the complex and heterogeneous works of Romantic painting. In sixteen original essays, renowned and early career researchers examine the question of whether to speak of several independently considered Romanticisms or one European Romanticism. They adopt a transnational perspective on Romantic art in and beyond Europe, focusing on the interconnections between the countries.

      • Trusted Partner
        Literature & Literary Studies
        May 1999

        Introduction to English Renaissance comedy

        by Alexander Leggatt

        Introduction to English Renaissance comedy provides a comprehensive introduction to Elizabethan, Jacobean and Caroline comedy, covering both public and private theatres, emphasising the eclectic, experimental nature of this comedy: its departures from the mainstream New Comedy tradition, its searching, witty analysis of social and personal relations in court, city and country. This book makes a close analysis of some of the richest comedies of the period, making unexpected connections between them: Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Tempest, Lyly's Endymion, Greene's Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay, Marston's The Malcontent, Middleton's Michaelmas Term, Jonson's Bartholomew Fair, Shirley's The Lady of Pleasure and Brome's A Jovial Crew. Through these plays the reader is given a comprehensive picture of English comedy in one of its most creative periods. ;

      • Trusted Partner
        September 2020

        It was always love

        by Hotel, Nikola

        She’s had enough of men, but he can’t get enough of her...   Away. Just get out of here. That's all Aubree thinks about when she gets kicked out of college after a party. She buys an incredibly old car, throws the few things she owns into the trunk and flees to her best friend Ivy in New Hampshire.    There, all she wants is to pull the blanket over her head and think of nothing else. Not about that night. Not about the party. And most of all, not that picture that's been circulating on the Internet ever since. But it doesn't work. Because instead of her friend, she meets Noah, Ivy's stepbrother. With his impulsive but surprisingly sensitive nature, Noah evokes feelings in her that she doesn't need right now. And which, nevertheless, sweep her away like a storm...     Second volume of a romantic and exciting dilogy with 20 lavishly illustrated hand-lettered pages by Carolin Magunia. Including a playlist that can be found on Spotify and contains songs which match perfectly with the story! It was always you (Vol. 1) entered the Spiegel bestseller list immediately after its publication. Both titles can be read separately. For all fans of Mona Kasten, Laura Kneidl and Kelly Moran! 175,000 copies of vol. 1 + 2 were sold since June 2020!

      • Trusted Partner
        Humanities & Social Sciences
        November 2022

        Chinese dreams in Romantic England

        by Edward Weech

      • Trusted Partner
        The Arts
        January 2019

        Tears of laughter

        Comedy-drama in 1990s British cinema

        by Nigel Mather

        Tears of laughter' examines the interactions of comedy and drama in three vital thematic strands of British cinema during the 1990s: comedies exploring issues of class, culture and community in British society, 'ethnic' comedy-dramas engaging with complex issues of identity and allegiance in modern Britain, and romantic comedies featuring characters searching (somewhat desperately or frantically) for a suitable and desirable long-term or short-term partner. Films to be discussed in detail include 'Brassed Off' (1996), 'The Full Monty' (1997), 'East is East' (1999), 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' (1994), 'Notting Hill' (1999) and a post-1990s romantic comedy, 'Love Actually' (2003). The study discusses these specific films and a range of other 1990s British comedy-drama films within the context of community-orientated Ealing comedy classics, contentious situation comedies treating race relations as both a laughing matter and a site of conflict ('Till Death Us Do Part' and 'Love Thy Neighbour'), and romantic comedies set and produced in Britain. It is aimed at film studies academics, students and film enthusiasts.

      • Trusted Partner
        The Arts
        February 2006

        Tears of laughter

        Comedy-drama in 1990s British cinema

        by Nigel Mather

        'Tears of laughter' examines the interactions of comedy and drama in three vital thematic strands of British cinema during the 1990s: comedies exploring issues of class, culture and community in British society, 'ethnic' comedy-dramas engaging with complex issues of identity and allegiance in modern Britain, and romantic comedies featuring characters searching (somewhat desperately or frantically) for a suitable and desirable long-term or short-term partner. Films to be discussed in detail include 'Brassed Off' (1996), 'The Full Monty' (1997), 'East is East' (1999), 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' (1994), 'Notting Hill' (1999) and a post-1990s romantic comedy, 'Love Actually' (2003). The study discusses these specific films and a range of other 1990s British comedy-drama films within the context of community-orientated Ealing comedy classics, contentious situation comedies treating race relations as both a laughing matter and a site of conflict ('Till Death Us Do Part' and 'Love Thy Neighbour'), and romantic comedies set and produced in Britain. It is aimed at film studies academics, students and film enthusiasts. ;

      • Trusted Partner
        Humanities & Social Sciences
        March 2024

        How to be multiple

        The philosophy of twins

        by Helena de Bres, Julia de Bres

        In How to be multiple, Helena de Bres - a twin herself - argues that twinhood is a unique lens for examining our place in the world and how we relate to other people. The way we think about twins offers remarkable insights into some of the deepest questions of our existence, from what is a person? to how should we treat one another? Deftly weaving together literary and cultural history, philosophical enquiry and personal experience, de Bres examines such thorny issues as binary thinking, objectification, romantic love and friendship, revealing the limits of our individualistic perspectives. In this illuminating, entertaining book, wittily illustrated by her twin sister, de Bres ultimately suggests that to consider twinhood is to imagine the possibility of a more interconnected, capacious human future.

      • Trusted Partner
        The Arts
        January 2019

        Negotiating the auteur

        Dominique Cabrera, Noémie Lvovsky, Laetitia Masson and Marion Vernoux

        by Julia Dobson

        This book provides the first detailed analysis of the work of four important contemporary directors whose work falls between the reductive labels of 'auteur cinema' and 'popular cinema'. Their work is contextualised within this timely investigation into the shifting relationship between the privileged status of the auteur and questions of genre, gender and cinematic production in France today. This important contribution to understanding the shifting landscapes of contemporary French film identifies an essential intermediacy in the films of these directors, which works to undo a series of dominant oppositions, generic template and contestation, public collectivity and personal intimacy, to offer a new perspective on the location of the political in contemporary French cinema. The four chapters provide detailed critical analysis of films by Dominique Cabrera, Laetitia Masson, Noémie Lvovsky and Marion Vernoux, and present common thread including the possible construction of social intimacy, the political demystification of romance narratives and the role of nostalgia, to argue that their work uses popular genres in order to challenge dominant cultural representation that resonates beyond the immediate parameters of contemporary French cinema. This book will be of interest to researchers working in French and European cinema, to students of Film Studies and French and Francophone Studies, and to film enthusiasts.

      • Trusted Partner
        Biography & True Stories
        May 2026

        Caroline Aherne

        Rebel in disguise

        by David Scott

        A thoughtful exploration of the work of this unique comedian and writer. Caroline Aherne was one of the most influential and beloved of British comedians. In this book David Scott explores Aherne's comedic artistry and creative legacy, focusing on her iconic characters and ground-breaking TV shows. Scott dives into Aherne's most beloved creations, from the sharp-tongued Mrs Merton to the quietly revolutionary The Royle Family. Drawing on the tales of collaborators and telling behind-the-scenes stories, he provides an intimate glimpse into the creative processes that brought these iconic works to life. At the same time, he examines the social and cultural influences that shaped Aherne's work, from the rich traditions of Northern working-class humour to the experiences of Irish migrants. Aherne's work is celebrated for its sharp wit, warmth and ability to find comedy in adversity. This book offers an exploration and celebration of one of comedy's most inventive minds, revealing how she reshaped the British comedy landscape.

      • Trusted Partner
      • Trusted Partner
        The Arts
        May 2024

        The Family of Love

        By Lording Barry

        by Sophie Tomlinson

        The Family of Love charts a successful love intrigue between the cash-strapped Gerardine, and Maria, the sequestered niece of the mercenary Doctor Glister. Their romance unfolds against the dissection of two citizen marriages, the Glisters' and the Purges'. Mistress Purge attends Familist meetings independently, arousing her husband's suspicions about her marital fidelity. Two libertines, Lipsalve and Gudgeon, go in search of sex and solubility (freedom from constipation), receiving more than they bargain for in respect of the latter. This scholarly edition of Family of Love marks the first occasion on which the comedy is attributed to Lording Barry in print. It brings together literary and historical discussion with a thorough analysis of the play's disputed authorship. Tomlinson highlights Barry's rich vein of burlesque humour in a comedy that combines magic, a trunk, and a mock-court session with vigorous colloquial language.

      • Trusted Partner
        The Arts
        January 2022

        The Family of Love

        By Lording Barry

        by Helen Ostovich, Sophie Tomlinson

        The Family of Love charts a successful love intrigue between the cash-strapped Gerardine, and Maria, the sequestered niece of the mercenary Doctor Glister. Their romance unfolds against the dissection of two citizen marriages, the Glisters' and the Purges'. Mistress Purge attends Familist meetings independently, arousing her husband's suspicions about her marital fidelity. Two libertines, Lipsalve and Gudgeon, go in search of sex and solubility (freedom from constipation), receiving more than they bargain for in respect of the latter. This scholarly edition of Family of Love marks the first occasion on which the comedy is attributed to Lording Barry in print. It brings together literary and historical discussion with a thorough analysis of the play's disputed authorship. Tomlinson highlights Barry's rich vein of burlesque humour in a comedy that combines magic, a trunk, and a mock-court session with vigorous colloquial language.

      • Trusted Partner
        Humanities & Social Sciences
        December 2025

        Queer as folklore

        The hidden queer history of myths and monsters

        by Sacha Coward

        A celebration of queer history like you've never seen it before. Queer as folklore travels across centuries and continents to reveal the unsung heroes and villains of storytelling, magic and fantasy. Featuring images from archives, galleries and museums around the world, each chapter investigates the queer history of different mythic and folkloric characters, both old and new. Leaving no headstone unturned, Sacha Coward takes you on a wild ride through the night from ancient Greece to the main stage of RuPaul's Drag Race, visiting cross-dressing pirates, radical fairies and the graves of the 'queerly departed' along the way. Queer communities have often sought refuge in the shadows and created safe spaces in underworlds. But these forgotten narratives tell stories of resilience that deserve to be heard. Join any Pride march and you will see a glorious display of papier-mâché unicorn heads, drag queens in mermaid tails and more fairy wings than you can shake a trident at. These are not just accessories: they are queer symbols with historic roots. To truly understand who queer people are today, we must confront the twisted tales of the past.

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