Argues that when the comic world or worlds" are examined as independent entities . . . useful information about comic character, plot, and setting" can be obtained. (Author/SW)

Explores the representation of toys in children's literature, focusing on the main characters in Russell Hoban's "The Mouse and His Child." (MM)

This paper describes an elective literature course that examines the cultural and historical context of Western United States literary works for insights into the whole of United States culture. From a definition of the "West" that has both geographical and mythical dimensions, the following major images emerge for study: Eden, El…

Over 200 participants from 10 states and 17 universities attended "The First National Symposium on Chicano Literature and Critical Analysis." Five of the papers presented at the symposium are given in this publication. The papers cover Chicano poetry, novel, drama, and popular folklore humor. "National Character vs Universality in…

Written in Spanish, the article discusses Octavio Paz's portrayal of the woman in his poem "Piedra de Sol". (NQ)

Contends that Pinter's play, No Man's Land, is about impotency as well as stasis and old age. Focuses on the allusions to sex which function both literally and figuratively and includes metaphorical ramifications of the mentally, emotionally, and spiritually barren. (MH)

Examines several films of Francois Truffaut. (RB)

Rejects the thesis that an uncanny matchup of literary characters with their visual doubles made "The Maltese Falcon" a success. (RB)

Author attempts indirectly to suggest two ways in which psychology informs the study of literature: by illuminating the assumptions about mind and behavior which an author holds and in providing additional metaphors which enable us to overcome our own obstacles to perceiving a poet's vision of human experience. (Author/CB)

Analyzes how Hollywood's journalism movie genre has portrayed the news media over the years. Suggests that the movies' relationship to the press reflects a fundamentally ambivalent relationship between the press and the broader culture and that Hollywood explicitly portrays institutional and cultural tensions within journalism which the news media…

Explains how the movie "The Lion King" may be used to elucidate Shakespeare's "Hamlet," a play about a prince who does not always seem heroic to modern audiences. Gives specific points of comparison between the two works concerning heroes, characters, conflicts, themes, ending scenes, and archetypal patterns. (TB)

Argues that the dominant themes in Bigelow's "Blue Steel" are female subservience, masculine authority, sex as economic exchange and guilty pleasure, woman as threatening and domestic, and castration anxiety. Analyzes Jamie Lee Curtis's portrayal of the protagonist, Megan Turner, as being androgynous when in uniform, and as possessor of…

Explores the prevalence of the gunfighter as mythic hero. Compares the depictions of Clint Eastwood's characters from the beginning of Eastwood's career ("A Fistful of Dollars" and "Pale Rider") to "Unforgiven," finding similarities and differences in each character. (PA)