Books in French are on www.livres-cinema.info
MENU   

Star Wars

The Triumph of Nerd Culture

by Josef Benson

Type
Essays
Subject
One FilmStar Wars
Keywords
George Lucas, Star Wars, sociology
Publishing date
2025 (April 18, 2025)
Publisher
Rowman & Littlefield
1st publishing
2020
Language
English
Size of a pocketbookRelative size of this bookSize of a large book
Relative size
Physical desc.
Paperback • 190 pages
6 x 9 inches (15 x 23 cm)
ISBN
979-8-8818-0887-7
User Ratings
no rating (0 vote)

Average rating: no rating

0 rating 1 star = We can do without
0 rating 2 stars = Good book
0 rating 3 stars = Excellent book
0 rating 4 stars = Unique / a reference

Your rating: -

Book Presentation:
Star Wars: The Triumph of Nerd Culture engagingly reveals how the most popular film franchise of all time sprang from the mind of a deeply insecure nerd, who then inspired and betrayed a generation of fans.
In Star Wars: The Triumph of Nerd Culture, Josef Benson offers an unauthorized and provocative expose of the most popular film franchise of all time. Fueled by George Lucas’s insecurities and a fervent fan-base who felt betrayed when Lucas defiled the original films, Benson presents the conflict between Lucas and Star Wars fans as comparable to the twisted relationship between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. Just as there is a riveting saga within the Star Wars universe that centers on the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker and the redemption of Darth Vader, so too has a saga unfolded in relation to George Lucas and Star Wars fandom.

Star Wars fans both love and hate Star Wars and George Lucas. He is equally responsible for their pleasure and pain. Star Wars:The Triumph of Nerd Culture delves deeper into the Star Wars universe than any book has gone before, including an illuminating look into why Lucas sold Lucasfilm to the Disney Corporation and how the sale affected the franchise. After reading this book, fans will never be able to watch Star Wars in the same way again.

About the Author:
Josef Benson is an associate professor of English at the University of Wisconsin Parkside. He is the author of Hypermasculinities in the Contemporary Novel: Cormac McCarthy, Toni Morrison, and James Baldwin (2014) and J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye: A Cultural History (2018).

Press Reviews:
A well-researched history of the complicated relationships between the architect of Star Wars, George Lucas, and his contemporaries, his creations, and the fans . . . A brief overview of science fiction fandom, from publisher Hugo Gernsback to fan fiction, slash fiction, and the concept of canon is helpful, as is the exploration of the way Lucas' success licensing merchandise changed the landscape. Benson also draws connections between Lucas' films and his insecurity as an outsider and his conflict between commerce and artistic integrity. Most compelling is the exploration of the complicated relationship between producers and fans, and readers from any fandom will find much of interest. ― Booklist

Benson traces Lucas’s transformation from the nerdy director of avant-garde films like 1971’s THX-1138 into the consummate studio mogul who, in 2012, sold his series to Disney for more than $4 billion. In this context, Lucas’s protracted battle with Star Wars fans over control of his films’ legacy emerges as both a repudiation of his nerdy roots and an all-too-nerdy appeal for attention and affirmation. ― Publishers Weekly

Benson (English, Univ. of Wisconsin-Parkside) provides Lucas’s biography, tracking his entrepreneurial spirit through film school to relationships with like-minded directors Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola, and his early films THX 1138 and American Graffiti. Lucas believed his films succeeded because of him, so when fans turned against him—specifically with the Star Wars prequels and revisions to the original trilogy—he took it as a personal disavowal, leading to the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012. Benson examines the wide breadth of Star Wars fan fiction and draws parallels between Lucas and Darth Vader, who, according to him, both betrayed their initial paths to achieve power. ― Library Journal

See the publisher website: Rowman & Littlefield

See Star Wars (1977) on IMDB ...

> Books with the same or similar title:

Star Wars:Galaxy's Edge: Traveler's Guide to Batuu

Star Wars (2025)

Galaxy's Edge: Traveler's Guide to Batuu

by Cole Horton

Subject: One Film > Star Wars

Star Wars:Essays Exploring a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Star Wars (2024)

Essays Exploring a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Dir. Emily Strand and Amy H Sturgis

Subject: One Film > Star Wars

Star Wars:The Galaxy's Greatest Villains

Star Wars (2022)

The Galaxy's Greatest Villains

Collective

Subject: One Film > Star Wars

Star Wars:The Galaxy's Greatest Heroes

Star Wars (2022)

The Galaxy's Greatest Heroes

Collective

Subject: One Film > Star Wars

Star Wars:The Saga Begins

Star Wars (2019)

The Saga Begins

Collective

Subject: One Film > Star Wars

Star Wars:Fan phenomena

Star Wars (2013)

Fan phenomena

Dir. Mika Elovaara

Subject: One Film > Star Wars

Star Wars:A New Hope

Star Wars (2000)

A New Hope

by George Lucas

Subject: One Film > Star Wars

Star Wars:The Empire Strikes Back

Star Wars (2000)

The Empire Strikes Back

by George Lucas

Subject: One Film > The Empire Strikes Back

Star Wars:The Return of the Jedi

Star Wars (2000)

The Return of the Jedi

by George Lucas

Subject: One Film > Return of the Jedi

> On a related topic:

I'd Just as Soon Kiss a Wookiee:Uncovering Racialized Desire in the Star Wars Galaxy

I'd Just as Soon Kiss a Wookiee (2025)

Uncovering Racialized Desire in the Star Wars Galaxy

by Greg Carter

Subject: One Film > Star Wars

I Find Your Lack of Faith Disturbing:Star Wars and the Triumph of Geek Culture

I Find Your Lack of Faith Disturbing (2019)

Star Wars and the Triumph of Geek Culture

by A. D. Jameson

Subject: One Film > Star Wars

Star Wars:Fan phenomena

Star Wars (2013)

Fan phenomena

Dir. Mika Elovaara

Subject: One Film > Star Wars

Star Wars:Galaxy's Edge: Traveler's Guide to Batuu

Star Wars (2025)

Galaxy's Edge: Traveler's Guide to Batuu

by Cole Horton

Subject: One Film > Star Wars

Star Wars The Blueprints:Designs and Artwork from the Skywalker Saga

Star Wars The Blueprints (2025)

Designs and Artwork from the Skywalker Saga

Collective

Subject: One Film > Star Wars

Star Wars:Essays Exploring a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Star Wars (2024)

Essays Exploring a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Dir. Emily Strand and Amy H Sturgis

Subject: One Film > Star Wars

Weird But True! Star Wars:300 Epic Facts From a Galaxy Far, Far Away....

Weird But True! Star Wars (2024)

300 Epic Facts From a Galaxy Far, Far Away....

by National Geographic Kids

Subject: One Film > Star Wars

One with the Force:18 Universal Truths in Star Wars

One with the Force (2024)

18 Universal Truths in Star Wars

by Krista Noble

Subject: One Film > Star Wars

14271 books listed   •   (c)2024-2025 cinemabooks.info   •