Why We Watch The Attractions of Violent Entertainment [Paperback]

Why We Watchis the first book to offer a careful look at why we are drawn to depictions of violence and why there is so large a market for violent entertainment. This arresting collection of essays examines the presence of violent imagery not just in contemporary America but across time, from classical antiquity to the present, and not only in film and television but in a fascinating array of cultural domains, including literature, religion, fairy tales, video games, children's toys, photojournalism, and sports.Why We Watchaddresses a crucial but rarely considered aspect of the media-violence problem: Why is violent imagery so prevalent? The distinguished contributors, hailing from fields such as anthropology, history, literary theory, psychology, communications, and film criticism, include Allen Guttmann, Vicki Goldberg, Maria Tatar, Joanne Cantor, J. Hoberman, Clark McCauley, Maurice Bloch, Dolf Zillmann, and the volume's editor, Jeffrey Goldstein. Together, they aim to define what is distinctive about the culture of violence.

Clear, accessible, and timely, this is a book for all who are concerned with the multiple points of access to violent representation.

This well-researched book offers insightful analyses and extensive references. --Booklist

At long last we are finally 'fessing up to the obvious: the attraction of pretend violence is deep and broad. The first question we usually ask is how to wean Junior from consuming massive amounts of preposterous violence. However, that should be the last question. The first question is, andWhy WeWatch: The Attractions of Violent Entertainmentboldly asks it: why are violent scenarios so alluring that their delivery and consumption is a major part of American (and international) popular culture? This stuff is not foisted on us; for a time in our lives, we--especially males--actively seek it out. We have pretended otherwise for long enough. --James Twitcl+