Emotional Ethics Of The Hunger Games

''The Hunger Games movies have become iconic symbols for resistance across the globe. Tarja Laine proposes that this is not caused by their status as exciting cinematic spectacles, but by their engaging our emotions. Laine uses The Hunger Games as key texts for understanding our world, demonstrating that ethics do not originate from rational considerations, far removed from those mucky things called emotions. But rather that emotions are at the core of cinematic ethics." -William Brown, Author of Supercinema: Film-Philosophy for the Digital Age ''In this elegantly written exploration of the relationship between aesthetics and emotion in The Hunger Games trilogy, Tarja Laine illuminates the power of film to embody ethical conflict. Deftly interweaving film-philosophy and close analysis, Laine traces how these films mobilise complex emotions, nuancing our thinking about cinema and the spectator. Laine's book takes The Hunger Games films seriously, demonstrating with verve why they matter." -Catherine Wheatley, Senior Lecturer in Film Studies, King's College London, UK Emotional Ethics of The Hunger Games expands the 'ethical turn' in Film Studies by analysing emotions as a source of ethical knowledge in The Hunger Games films. It argues that emotions, incorporated in the thematic and aesthetic organization of these films, reflect a crisis in moral standards. As such they cultivate ethical attitudes towards such phenomena as totalitarianism, the culture of reality television, and the society of spectacle. The focus of the argument is on cinematic aesthetics, which expresses emotions in a way that highlights their ethical significance, running the gamut from fear through guilt and shame, to love, anger and contempt. The central claim of the book is that these emotions are symptomatic of some moral conflict, which renders The Hunger Games franchise a meaningful commentary on the affective practice of cinematic ethics. Tarja Laine is Assistant Professor in Film Studies at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Her previous books include Bodies in Pain: Emotion and the Cinema of Darren Aronofsky (2015) and Feeling Cinema: Emotional Dynamics in Film Studies (2011). .

Emotional Ethics of The Hunger Games expands the ‘ethical turn’ in Film Studies by analysing emotions as a source of ethical knowledge in The Hunger Games films. It argues that emotions, incorporated in the thematic and aesthetic organization of these films, reflect a crisis in moral standards. As such they cultivate ethical attitudes towards such phenomena as totalitarianism, the culture of reality television, and the society of spectacle. The focus of the argument is on cinematic aesthetics, which expresses emotions in a way that highlights their ethical significance, running the gamut from fear through guilt and shame, to love, anger and contempt. The central claim of the book is that these emotions are symptomatic of some moral conflict, which renders The Hunger Games franchise a meaningful commentary on the affective practice of cinematic ethics. ‘’The Hunger Games movies have become iconic symbols for resistance across the globe. Tarja Laine proposes that this is not caused by their status as exciting cinematic spectacles, but by their engaging our emotions. Laine uses The Hunger Games as key texts for understanding our world, demonstrating that ethics do not originate from rational considerations, far removed from those mucky things called emotions. But rather that emotions are at the core of cinematic ethics.” —William Brown, Author of Supercinema: Film-Philosophy for the Digital Age ‘’In this elegantly written exploration of the relationship between aesthetics and emotion in The Hunger Gamestrilogy, Tarja Laine illuminates the power of film to embody ethical conflict. Deftly interweaving film-philosophy and close analysis, Laine traces how these films mobilise complex emotions, nuancing our thinking about cinema and the spectator. Laine’s book takes The Hunger Games films seriously, demonstrating with verve why they matter.” —Catherine Wheatley, Senior Lecturer in Film Studies, King’s College London, UK ''In this fresh, engaging, and insightful study of The Hunger Games film trilogy, Tarja Laine explores the crucial role that emotions play in appreciation of the ethical qualities of the movies. She forges productive dialogues between a range of film theory, scholarship on moral philosophy, and debates on ethics, as she performs a multi-layered investigation of the aesthetic qualities of the trilogy, the multiple emotions embodied in these qualities, and the philosophical-ethical insights that are in turn embedded in these emotions. The cinematic connection between emotions and ethics that emerges through Laine’s detailed textual analyses confronts us with complex moral dilemmas while enriching our aesthetic experience.'' —Sarah Cooper, Professor, Film Studies Department, King's College London, UK

In this book, Tarja Laine provides insights into how traumatic cinema invites profound affective engagement with the pathology of memory that lies at the heart of trauma. The author reveals that traumatic cinema communicates the inability to process a traumatic event by means of its aesthetic specificity as a time-based medium.

A philosophical exploration of Suzanne Collins's New York Times bestselling series, just in time for the release of The Hunger Games movie Katniss Everdeen is "the girl who was on fire," but she is also the girl who made us think, dream, question authority, and rebel. The post-apocalyptic world of Panem's twelve districts is a divided society on the brink of war and struggling to survive, while the Capitol lives in the lap of luxury and pure contentment. At every turn in the Hunger Games trilogy, Katniss, Peeta, Gale, and their many allies wrestle with harrowing choices and ethical dilemmas that push them to the brink. Is it okay for Katniss to break the law to ensure her family's survival? Do ordinary moral rules apply in the Arena? Can the world of The Hunger Games shine a light into the dark corners of our world? Why do we often enjoy watching others suffer? How can we distinguish between what's Real and Not Real? This book draws on some of history's most engaging philosophical thinkers to take you deeper into the story and its themes, such as sacrifice, altruism, moral choice, and gender. Gives you new insights into the Hunger Games series and its key characters, plot lines, and ideas Examines important themes such as the state of nature, war, celebrity, authenticity, and social class Applies the perspective of some of world's greatest minds, such as Charles Darwin, Thomas Hobbes, Friedrich Nietzsche, Plato, and Immanuel Kant to the Hunger Games trilogy Covers all three books in the Hunger Games trilogy An essential companion for Hunger Games fans, this book will take you deeper into the dystopic world of Panem and into the minds and motivations of those who occupy it.

The way we communicate with each other is vital to preserving the cultural ecology, or wellbeing, of a place and time. Do we listen to each other? Do we ask the right questions? Do we speak about each other with respect or disdain? The stories that we convey on screens, or what author Carl Plantinga calls 'screen stories,' are one powerful and pervasive means by which we communicate with each other. Screen Stories: Emotion and the Ethics of Engagement argues that film and media studies needs to move toward an an approach to ethics that is more appropriate for mass consumer culture and the lives of its citizens. Primarily concerned with the relationship between media and viewers, this book considers ethical criticism and the emotional power of screen stories that makes such criticism necessary. The content we consume--from television shows and movies to advertisements--can significantly affect our welfare on a personal and societal level, and thus, this content is subject to praise and celebration, or questioning and even condemnation. The types of screen stories that circulate contribute to the cultural ecology of a time and place; through shared attention they influence what individuals think and feel. Plantinga develops a theory of the power of screen stories to affect both individuals and cultures, asserting that we can better respond ethically to such media if we understand the sources of its influence on us.

Ann Martin's phenomenal Newbery Honor book, now in paperback The summer Hattie turns 12, her predictable smalltown life is turned on end when her uncle Adam returns home for the first time in over ten years. Hattie has never met him, never known about him. He's been institutionalized; his condition invovles schizophrenia and autism. Hattie, a shy girl who prefers the company of adults, takes immediately to her excitable uncle, even when the rest of the family -- her parents and grandparents -- have trouble dealing with his intense way of seeing the world. And Adam, too, sees that Hattie is special, that her quiet, shy ways are not a disability,

This collection of fresh essays on Suzanne Collins's epic trilogy spans multiple disciplines. The contributors probe the trilogy's meaning using theories grounded in historicism, feminism, humanism, queer theory, as well as cultural, political, and media studies. The essayists demonstrate diverse perspectives regarding Collins's novels but their works have three elements in common: an appreciation of the trilogy as literature, a belief in its permanent value, and a need to share both appreciation and belief with fellow readers. The 21 essays that follow the context-setting introduction are grouped into four parts: Part I "History, Politics, Economics, and Culture," Part II "Ethics, Aesthetics, and Identity," Part III "Resistance, Surveillance, and Simulacra," and Part IV "Thematic Parallels and Literary Traditions." A core bibliography of dystopian and postapocalyptic works is included, with emphasis on the young adult category--itself an increasingly crucial part of postmodern culture. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

An international bestseller and the inspiration for a blockbuster film series, Suzanne Collins's dystopian, young adult trilogy The Hunger Games has also attracted attention from literary scholars. While much of the criticism has focused on traditional literary readings, this innovative collection explores the phenomena of place and space in the novels--how places define people, how they wield power to create social hierarchies, and how they can be conceptualized, carved out, imagined and used. The essays consider wide-ranging topics: the problem of the trilogy's Epilogue; the purpose of the love triangle between Katniss, Gale and Peeta; Katniss's role as "mother"; and the trilogy as a textual "safe space" to explore dangerous topics. Presenting the trilogy as a place and space for multiple discourses--political, social and literary--this work assertively places The Hunger Games in conversation with the world in which it was written, read, and adapted.