Transgender On Screen

by J. Phillips

Overview

An examination of filmic and Internet representations of transgender from a post-modern perspective, as a phenomenon that challenges conventional demarcations of sexuality and gender on the one hand, while provoking an ambivalent mixture of fear and fascination on the other.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781403912428
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan UK
Publication date:	07/10/2006
Edition description:	2006
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

JOHN PHILLIPS is Professor of French Literature and Culture at London Metropolitan University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements     viii
Introduction     1
Transgender in the Historical Imagination     30
Cross-dressing in Film Comedy     51
Psycho-Trans     85
Drama Queens and Macho Men     115
Walking on the Wild Side: Shemale Internet Pornography     147
Representation and Reality     165
Notes     174
Bibliography     184
Index     192

Editorial Reviews

'John Phillips offers progressive views on the complex phenomenon of transgender as represented in popular culture from mainstream cinema to the Internet. Supported with up-to-date thinking tools, the study concludes on the potential impact of transgender on the reshaping of desire. Truly an eye opener on the subject.' - Gaëtan Brulotte, Distinguished University Professor, University of South Florida, USA

'As Phillips rightly asserts in this study, the considerable cinematic and cultural exposure of transgender in recent years is largely unmatched by serious scholarly criticism of these representations and discourses. This highly readable and lucid book; wide-ranging in its coverage and eclectic in its theoretical approach; constitutes a significant step towards redressing the balance. Phillips's work offers a timely and essential contribution to the fields of interdisciplinary sexuality studies and film criticism.' - Dr. Lisa Downing, Reader in French Discourses of Sexuality, Queen Mary, University of London, UK

'In this fascinating exploration, John Phillips proves that transgender is central to understanding contemporary problems with sexuality and gender. By using cultural theory to examine visual staples from cinema and the Internet, Phillips has created a remarkably clear and to the point work. Phillips's incisive examination illuminates the politics behind transgender and points toward ways that we can escape from binary fixity, anxiety, and guilt. He teaches that learning to come to terms with the laughter and revulsion that transgender inspires means coming to terms with the modern age.' - Dr. Lisa Z. Sigel, DePaul University, USA

'This is a book that needed to be written. John Phillips has found a topic that is both original and important and combines breadth with a clear focus. It should therefore appeal to a wide audience without diminishing or trivialising the potential subversiveness of its material it will make a valuable contribution not only to gender and representation but also to social and cultural studies.' - Owen Heathcote, Bradford University, UK

From the Publisher