Product Description

In this comprehensive introduction to the study of genre, Steve Neale discusses all the major concepts, theories and accounts of Hollywood and genre, as well as the key genres which theorists have written about, from horror to the Western. Taking issue with much genre theory, which has provided only a partial and misleading account of Hollywood's output, Neale calls for broader and more flexible conceptions of genre, for the nature and range of Hollywood's films to be looked at in more detail, and for any assessment of the social and cultural significance of Hollywood's genres to take account of industrial factors. Insightful and provocative, Genre and Hollywood puts forward new arguments about the importance of genre in understanding Hollywood cinema.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #708427 in Books
• Published on: 2000-01-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 344 pages

Review
A clear and accessible treatment. - Sight and Sound

About the Author
Steve Neale is Research Professor in Film, Media and Communication Studies at Sheffield Hallam University. He is co-author of Popular Film and Television Comedy (1990) and co-editor of Contemporary Hollywood Cinema (1998), both published by Routledge.

Customer Reviews

Superb overview of Hollywood film genres
Steve Neale's book offers an excellent, theoretically well-informed, up-to-date and very readable overview of Hollywood film genres. Those who are new to the study of film genre will find this a great one-volume introduction to the subject, and experts will particularly welcome his discussion of definitions of genre (and the critical problems those definitions raise). It provides an ideal balance of concrete example and abstract theory and is to my mind currently the best book on this topic. Highly recommended.