Ghosts haunt the stages of world theatre, appearing in classical Greek drama through to the plays of 21st-century dramatists. Tracing the phenomenon across time and in different cultures, the chapters collected here examine their representation, dramatic function, and what they may tell us about the belief systems of their original audiences and the conditions of theatrical production. As illusions of illusions, they foreground many dramatic themes common to a wide variety of periods and cultures. Arranged chronologically, this collection examines how ghosts represent political change in Athenian culture in three plays by Aeschylus; their function in traditional Japanese drama; the staging of the supernatural in the dramatic liturgy of the early Middle Ages; ghosts within the dramatic works of Middleton, George Peele, and Christopher Marlowe, and the technologies employed in the 18th and 19th centuries to represent the supernatural on stage. Coverage of the dramatic representation of ghosts in the 20th and 21st centuries includes studies of Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit, August Wilson’s Pittsburgh Cycle, plays by Sam Shepard, David Mamet, and Sarah Ruhl, Paddy Chayefsky’s The Tenth Man, Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog, and the spectral imprint of Shakespeare’s ghosts in the Irish drama of Marina Carr, Martin McDonagh, William Butler Yeats, and Samuel Beckett. The volume closes by examining three contemporary American indigenous plays by Anishinaabe author, Alanis King.

There is a new wave of pornographic entertainment in contemporary American culture. Liberated from X-rated bookstores and strip clubs, porn is everywhere, and Pop-Porn seeks to examine this phenomenon in some of its most striking manifestations. Written from a variety of perspectives and on a variety of topics representing the widespread increase of soft-core porn in our culture, Pop-Porn offers a detailed and complex approach to the porn industry in America. Rather than focusing on the current polarity of basic pro and con views on this topic—a polarity that ultimately hinders discussion—these essays show that pornographic content is subtly and profoundly embedded in our cultural fabric. This current state of affairs raises questions beyond what's right and what's wrong. It demands that we examine what these representations mean in the first place and what effects they have upon the way we live our lives. The content of this volume is not limited to the usual porn sites and practices, such as video, prostitution, sex sales, magazines, and the Internet. The essays here go further, examining porn in places many would not expect, such as in grooming practices of pubic hair and the self-promotional strategies of Paris Hilton. The authors who do examine the conventional sites for porn do so in a unique way. Ultimately, these essays collectively demonstrate that Americans are addicted to porn, but are forced to disguise it as fashion, hygiene, class commentary, or other forms of entertainment. Contributors to Pop-Porn come from a wide variety of disciplines—including English, Women's Studies, Communication, Psychology, and Theatre—and their essays address a wide range of porn-infiltrated sites, from magazines to radio to film to television to fashion. While each contributor may perceive porn differently, they all address its pervasiveness in America's current, conservative state.

The question of the representation of women in the media has been an important one for feminists over the past three decades. This diverse collection of essays represents three major trends in feminist media studies: the liberal feminist perspective, which focuses on the media's tendency to misrepresent and oppress women; the postmodern perspective, which illustrates the ways in which women can participate in, enjoy, and sometimes subvert the dominant media; and the more recent attempts to identify and challenge the subtle backlash that threatens to obliterate feminist gains. The contributors cover a wide range of subjects, from advertisements for women's stockings to the life and death of Princess Diana.

This revealing work looks at representations of motherhood from a wide range of pop culture sources to explore larger questions about the image and self-image of mothers in the United States. How has the popularity of Gilmore Girls influenced perspectives on teenage pregnancies? How did the mother-in-law assume such monstrous proportions? Did the Republicans' view of motherhood—and their continual hectoring of Hillary Clinton for putting ambition ahead of family—cost them the 2008 election? Mommy Angst: Motherhood in American Popular Culture considers questions like these as it probes our country's views on mothers, and how those views shape—and are shaped by—the habitually oversimplified portrayals of mothers in pop culture, politics, and the media. Mommy Angst gets at the heart of America's anxious ambivalence toward mothers—whether sanctifying them, vilifying them, or praising the ideal of motherhood while thoroughly undervaluing the complexities of their lives and their contributions to family and society. To highlight the many sides of motherhood, the collection contrasts the lives of a diverse range of real moms with their pop culture representations, including Jewish mothers, Cuban mothers, teenage mothers, mothers with disabilities, working versus stay-at-home moms, and more.

This book examines the themes and variations of ""Phantom of the Opera"", demonstrating why Phantom has appealed to multiple generations through numerous incarnations. After discussing Gaston Leroux's original 1910 story, the work turns first to Phantom on film from Lon Chaney's 1925 ""Phantom"" through Dario Argento's 1998 film. Stage versions of ""Phantom"" are covered in detail, including Webber's spectacular 1986 production and its lesser-known predecessors and competitors, and those that followed. A final section looks at novels and miscellaneous adaptations ranging from erotic fiction to the 2002 ""Veggie Tales: Sumo of the Opera"".

This revealing work looks at representations of motherhood from a wide range of pop culture sources to explore larger questions about the image and self-image of mothers in the United States. How has the popularity of Gilmore Girls influenced perspectives on teenage pregnancies? How did the mother-in-law assume such monstrous proportions? Did the Republicans' view of motherhood-and their continual hectoring of Hillary Clinton for putting ambition ahead of family-cost them the 2008 election? Mommy Angst: Motherhood in American Popular Culture considers questions like these as it probes our country's views on mothers, and how those views shape-and are shaped by-the habitually oversimplified portrayals of mothers in pop culture, politics, and the media. Mommy Angst gets at the heart of America's anxious ambivalence toward mothers-whether sanctifying them, vilifying them, or praising the ideal of motherhood while thoroughly undervaluing the complexities of their lives and their contributions to family and society. To highlight the many sides of motherhood, the collection contrasts the lives of a diverse range of real moms with their pop culture representations, including Jewish mothers, Cuban mothers, teenage mothers, mothers with disabilities, working versus stay-at-home moms, and more. 12 contributors-accomplished scholars from a range of fields, including theatre, literature studies, sociology, film, women's studies, media studies, and psychology A chronology showing how portrayals of motherhood have evolved over time Bibliographies with each essay, listing key sources in print and online for further reading A comprehensive index