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The Oxford Handbook of Film Theory
Edited by Kyle Stevens
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Book Presentation:
• Offers provocative new arguments from some of the best minds in the field
• Revitalizes an essential part of the discipline's identity
• Looks beyond the canonical film theorists and practitioners
• Asks timely questions about the state of cinema today
Despite changes in the media landscape, film remains a vital force in contemporary culture, as do our ideas of what "a movie" or "the cinematic" are. Indeed, we might say that the category of film now only exists in theory. Whereas film-theoretical discussion at the turn of the 21st century was preoccupied, understandably, by digital technology's permeation of virtually all aspects of the film object, this volume moves the conversation away from a focus on film's materiality towards timely questions concerning the ethics, politics, and even aesthetics of thinking about the medium of cinema. To put it another way, this collection narrows in on the subject of film, not with a nostalgic sensibility, but with the recognition that what constitutes a film is historically contingent, in dialogue with the vicissitudes of entertainment, art, and empire. The volume is divided into six sections: Meta-Theory; Film Theory's Project of Emancipation; Apparatus and Perception; Audiovisuality; How Close is Close Reading?; and The Turn to Experience.
About the Author:
Kyle Stevens, Assistant Professor of English, Appalachian State University Kyle Stevens is the author of Mike Nichols: Sex, Language, and the Reinvention of Psychological Realism. His work has appeared in Critical Inquiry, Cultural Critique, Journal of Cinema and Media Studies, Adaptation, Critical Quarterly, New Review of Film and Television Studies, World Picture, and several edited collections.
Press Reviews:
"Stevens has done the field a great service in prompting and gathering such a rich collection of essays." - Dominic Lash, Year's Work in Critical and Cultural Theory
"This collection provides an excellent snapshot of the state of film theory in the wake of the collapse of so-called grand theory grounded in poststructuralism, psychoanalysis, Marxism, and semiotics...Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty; professionals." - J. Belton, Choice
"This collection provides an excellent snapshot of the state of film theory in the wake of the collapse of so-called grand theory grounded in poststructuralism, psychoanalysis, Marxism, and semiotics; the waning of post-theory with its focus on film philosophy; and short-lived debates surrounding indexicality in the digital cinema era." - Choice
"Clearly shows the purpose and value of film theory, beginning with classical, formative discussions and entering contemporary debates, not only proving theory's lasting relevance but also possibility for continued sustainability. Volumes like Stevens' reinvigorate the discipline, for sure." - Erica Tortolani, Jump Cut
See the publisher website: Oxford University Press
> From the same author:
Close-Up (2018)
Great Cinematic Performances Volume 2: International
Dir. Murray Pomerance and Kyle Stevens
Mike Nichols (2015)
Sex, Language, and the Reinvention of Psychological Realism
by Kyle Stevens
Subject: Director > Mike Nichols
> On a related topic:
A Chronology of Film (2025)
A Cultural Timeline from the Magic Lantern to the Digital Screen
Subject: Theory
Cinema of/for the Anthropocene (2025)
Affect, Ecology, and More-Than-Human Kinship
Dir. Katarzyna Paszkiewicz and Andrea Ruthven
Subject: Theory
Towards a Film Theory from Below (2025)
Archival Film and the Aesthetics of the Crack-Up
by Jiri Anger
Subject: Theory
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