The Traumatic Screen: The Films of Christopher Nolan

Stuart Joy's book "The Traumatic Screen" explores how Christopher Nolan uses film to explore the nature of human consciousness and the relationship between spectator and screen, using psychoanalytic film theory to analyze his treatment of trauma.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 200 pages
Publication date: 22 October 2020
Publisher: Intellect Books

Christopher Nolan is a unique figure in Hollywood, known for creating complex and original films that receive critical acclaim and commercial success. In his book "The Traumatic Screen," Stuart Joy explores the function and presentation of trauma in Nolan's work, drawing on contemporary applications of psychoanalytic film theory. Joy argues that Nolan's films mimic the structural operation of trauma through their complexity, thematic consistency, and fragmentary nature.

Nolan's films, spanning from "Doodlebug" in 1997 to "Dunkirk" in 2017, showcase the power of cinema to delve into the nature of human consciousness and comment on the relationship between the spectator and the screen. Joy examines Nolan's treatment of trauma, both individual and collective, through the formal construction, mise en scène, and repeated themes of his films.

The argument presented in this book is based on a close textual analysis and a methodological framework that incorporates the works of Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan. It offers the first in-depth, overtly psychoanalytic understanding of trauma in the context of Nolan's filmography, challenging existing scholarship and offering a bold new interpretation of the Nolan canon.

Overall, "The Traumatic Screen" is a valuable contribution to the study of cinema and trauma, providing a fresh perspective on Nolan's work and offering insights into the complex mechanisms of cinematic representation.

Weight: 358g
Dimension: 171 x 243 x 14 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781789382198