Considering Alan Ball: Essays on Sexuality, Death and America in the Television and Film WritingsThomas Richard Fahy Academy Award-winning screenwriter of the film American Beauty and creator of the HBO series Six Feet Under, Alan Ball has consistently probed the cultural forces shaping gender, sexuality, and death in the United States. Through gritty dialogue and edgy humor, Ball centers much of his social critique on the illusory promises of the American Dream. For many of his characters, a belief in the American Dream--including idealized notions of the family, heterosexual norms, and the acceptance of prescribed gender roles--proves stifling and self-destructive. This is the first book to explore Ball's writings for theater, television and film, with an emphasis on his best-known work. These essays offer insight into both the captivating and problematic dimensions of Ball's work, while drawing connections among his diverse writings. An interview with Ball is included. |
From inside the book
Results 1-3 of 87
Page 1
... Fahy. Sexuality , Death , and the American Dream in the Works of Alan Ball : An Introduction Thomas Fahy The theater always enchanted Alan Ball . As a child , he dreamed of being an actor . He wrote his first play at the age of six , and ...
... Fahy. Sexuality , Death , and the American Dream in the Works of Alan Ball : An Introduction Thomas Fahy The theater always enchanted Alan Ball . As a child , he dreamed of being an actor . He wrote his first play at the age of six , and ...
Page 19
... Fahy. feel there is an inherent sexism in most mainstream entertainment - in the movies more than anything else where women characters are basi- cally just props or things to win or things to suffer and die horribly so that the hero will ...
... Fahy. feel there is an inherent sexism in most mainstream entertainment - in the movies more than anything else where women characters are basi- cally just props or things to win or things to suffer and die horribly so that the hero will ...
Page 20
... Fahy. spirit yearns to be authentic . But it's so hard . We don't want to see these problems . We don't want to talk about them . Fahy : Do you think the medium of television is particularly effective for addressing these problems ? Ball ...
... Fahy. spirit yearns to be authentic . But it's so hard . We don't want to see these problems . We don't want to talk about them . Fahy : Do you think the medium of television is particularly effective for addressing these problems ? Ball ...
Contents
Sexuality Death and the American Dream in the Works | 1 |
An Interview with Alan Ball | 17 |
Alan Balls American Beauty | 23 |
Copyright | |
9 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Considering Alan Ball: Essays on Sexuality, Death and America in the ... Thomas Fahy Limited preview - 2006 |
Considering Alan Ball: Essays on Sexuality, Death and America in the ... Thomas Fahy Limited preview - 2014 |
Common terms and phrases
aesthetic Alan Ball Alan Poul American Beauty American Dream American Wedding Angela anti-aesthetic artists audience Ball's becomes Billy body Brenda bride bridesmaids Bruce Eric Kaplan Burnham Carolyn characters Chenowiths Claire Claire's Colonel David dead death desire disgust domestic space dress emotional empty Episode erotic experience Fahy fantasy feel feminist film film's Fisher Fitts Five Women Wearing Frances Freud gender Georgeanne girl happiness HBO Video homophobia ican identity intimacy Jane Jeremy Podeswa Jill Soloway Kate Robin Lester living marriage Meredith Michael Cuesta Mindy movie narrative Nate Nate's notion person play political psychological queer relationship represents reveals Rick Cleveland Ricky Ricky's roses Ruth scene Scott Buck script season seems sense sexual Six Feet social story Teleplay television therapeutic culture therapy things tion Tracy's traditional transformed Trisha vagina viewers violence visibility visual voice-over woman York