The Philosophy of David Lynch

by William J. Devlin (Editor), Shai Biderman (Editor)

Overview

From his cult classic television series Twin Peaks to his most recent film Inland Empire (2006), David Lynch is best known for his unorthodox narrative style. An award-winning director, producer, and writer, Lynch distorts and disrupts traditional storylines and offers viewers a surreal, often nightmarish perspective. His unique approach to filmmaking has made his work familiar to critics and audiences worldwide, and he earned Academy Award nominations for Best Director for The Elephant Man (198

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813129914
Publisher:	University Press of Kentucky
Publication date:	03/25/2011
Series:	The Philosophy of Popular Culture
Pages:	258
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

William J. Devlin is assistant professor of philosophy at Bridgewater State University. He lives in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Shai Biderman is in the philosophy department at Boston University. He lives in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction William J. Devlin Shai Biderman 1

Part 1 The World of David Lynch

"The Owls Are Not What They Seem": The Logic of Lynch's World Robert Arp Patricia Brace 7

Intuition and Investigation into Another Place: The Epistemological Role of Dreaming in Twin Peaks and Beyond Simon Riches 25

The Horrors of Life's Hidden Mysteries: Blue Velvet Sander H. Lee 45

The Thing about David Lynch: Enjoying the Lynchian World Russell Manning 61

The World as Illusion: Rediscovering Mulholland Dr. and Lost Highway through Indian Philosophy Ronie Parciack 77

Part 2 Selfhood and Subjectivity: The Existential Drive toward Self-Understanding

All Roads Lead to the Self: Zen Buddhism and David Lynch's Lost Highway Mark Walling 95

City of Dreams: Bad Faith in Mulholland Dr. Jennifer McMahon 113

Constellations of the Flesh: The Embodied Self in The Straight Story and The Elephant Man Tal Correm 127

David Lynch's Road Films: Individuality and Personal Freedom? Richard Gaughran 143

Lynch's Zarathustra: The Straight Story Shai Frogel 159

Part 3 The Self Confronts the World: Issues in Ethics, Society, and Religion

"There's Sort of Evil Out There": Emersonian Transcendentalism in Twin Peaks Scott Hamilton Suter 175

"In Heaven Everything Is Fine": Erasing Traditional Morality Jason Southworth 189

The Monster Within: Alienation and Social Conformity in The Elephant Man Shai Biderman Assaf Tabeka 207

Prophesies, Experience, and Proof: Philosophy of Religion in Dune William J. Devlin 225

Contributors 239

Index 243

Editorial Reviews

"Very well done. The Philosophy of David Lynch shows careful attention both to philosophical rigor and to the nuances of a complicated filmmaker."—James B. South, Philosophy, Marquette University

From the Publisher