LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - Daniel Shaw, professor of Philosophy and Film at Lock Haven University, will be giving a book talk at Stevenson Library on Thursday, April 16 at 7:00 p.m. "Film and Philosophy: Taking Movies Seriously" is his entry in the "Short Cuts" series on cinema published by Wallflower Press in the United Kingdom in December of 2008. Admission is free and the public is invited; light refreshments will be served.
Shaw will read excerpts from the introduction and conclusion of the text, and discuss the genesis of his interest in film-philosophy. Questions from the audience will be welcomed.
As the managing editor of the print journal "Film and Philosophy," Shaw is in a unique position to get an overview of philosophical scholarship about film. His book is one of the first monographs that offer a general introduction to the subject matter. It begins by trying to define what it means to do philosophy of film (as opposed to sociological, psychological, historical or film theoretic approaches), illustrating these defining characteristics with philosophical film theorists from the first half of the twentieth century.
"Taking Movies Seriously" then discusses two pioneers in the field, Stanley Cavell and Noel Carroll. They champion the two major "schools" of contemporary philosophic thought, existentialism and analytic philosophy. The bulk of the text surveys the philosophic discussion of the major film genres (esp. romance, horror and science fiction, and drama) and the philosophical issues that they raise, highlighting the diversity of philosophic discussions of film.
It is clear that the author is proud of his first monograph: "It is particularly satisfying to use this text in my courses, and see how accessible it is to a general audience" Shaw observed. He said that the book had sold 600 copies in the four months since its publication, “a pretty good record for an academic work,” he added.
Shaw’s website www.lhup.edu/dshaw provides film stills and a detailed table of contents under the “books” tab.
Stevenson Library has sponsored a series of book talks in recent years that have featured the works of present and former faculty and staff at LHU. For more information, contact Rick Lilla at rlilla@lhup.edu.