In these eleven short stories by a true master of the form, Grant Tracey guides us across a wide expanse of time and place but always deep into the interior lives of the characters we encounter. From 1918 New York to 1971 Toronto to contemporary Cedar Falls, Iowa - instantly we become involved in the complex relationships of movie actors, college professors, school custodians, teenagers, housewives - always firmly and richly enmeshed in their cultures via copious allusions to history, literature, cinema, TV, and the slang that punctuates their spot-on dialogue. Final Stanzas is a tour de force by a writer who is always mindful of his craft and attentive to the minutest of details.
Containing over 200 films, this resource is ideal for students, teachers, and other viewers who are interested in using films to enhance their knowledge of American historical events and periods. Along with traditional historical categories, such as the two World Wars, the Civil War, and the Great Depression, the book emphasizes immigrant, multicultural, and women-centered films to portray the fullness of the American experience. It also analyzes representations of people and events across different films for a variety of viewpoints, and considers how films reconfigure a past era through the issues of the day in which they were produced. For ease of use, the book is organized into time periods. Each entry contains: •the setting •director •cast •credits •the year of production •distributor Ratings are supplied to identify audience-appropriateness. The detailed narrative supplies a brief plot summary along with a thesis supported by strong examples from the film, such as excerpts of dialogue and factual details from history. The entries encourage readers to view the film through the lens of history and to consider it within the larger nexus of films listed in that particular chapter. Frequently, the historical focus considers both the time period depicted in the film and the time period in which it was made. The running times provide readers with a quick access to key scenes for further study. Each entry also concludes with sources for further reading, and indexes identify those films with multicultural and women's themes.
In the novella Playing Mac, Stan doesn't know why he's auditioning for a community theater production of 42nd Street. Maybe it's because his wife wants a divorce, his oldest son feels awkward around him, and his youngest son isn't even talking. Maybe Stan just wants a fresh start, a new beginning. Whatever his initial motivation to act, Stan finds himself transformed through his theater experience. In playing Mac, Stan discovers a second family. He finds friendship, fellowship, and romance with Ciara, a woman half his age. He's given a second chance in love and family, but will that promising future with Ciara be obscured by the past? This book also features eight other "scenes," character-driven short stories with a lot of heart.
Parallel Lines and the Hockey Universe marks Grant Tracey as natural heir to Sherwood Anderson. But, unlike Winesburg, Ohio residents, Tracey's characters, all associates of the Traicheff brothers, are socialable and devoted to pop culture. Likable without being roguish, these guys live in worlds of asphalt and brick under a low winter sky. They worry over parental divorce, talk with great passion about Iggy Stooge (wonderful, sly comedy there) and Lenny Bruce and Humphrey Bogart, play junior league hockey in the upper Midwest, date strippers in small town Ontario, fall innocently in love, and understand that their grandparents' emigration has made the honest, grinding work of the new world theirs and has made that 'Euro' speed skating and finesse foreign to them. The book is massively complicated without being pretentious or difficult. In fact, it's a hoot to reed--a hoot and several loud choruses of 'All Right Now' after a last-second goal slapped in from the blue line!" -G.W. Clift
Containing over 200 recommended films, this resource is ideal for students, teachers, and other viewers who are interested in using films to enhance their knowledge of American history. Along with traditional historical categories, such as the two World Wars, the Civil War, and the Great Depression, the book emphasizes immigrant, multicultural, and women-centered films to portray the fullness of the American experience. It also analyzes representations of people and events across different films for a variety of viewpoints, and considers how films reconfigure a past era through the issues of the day in which they were produced. In this study of US social history through the cinematic lens of some 200 films, Tracey (film studies and creative writing, U. of Northern Iowa) views themes from antebellum slavery (e.g., in Amistad, 1997) to contemporary political cynicism as expressed in Wag the Dog (1997). Includes recommended further viewing as well as further reading, and lists of multicultural films and women-centered films.
In the novella Playing Mac, Stan doesn't know why he's auditioning for a community theater production of 42nd Street. Maybe it's because his wife wants a divorce, his oldest son feels awkward around him, and his youngest son isn't even talking. Maybe Stan just wants a fresh start, a new beginning. Whatever his initial motivation to act, Stan finds himself transformed through his theater experience. In playing Mac, Stan discovers a second family. He finds friendship, fellowship, and romance with Ciara, a woman half his age. He's given a second chance in love and family, but will that promising future with Ciara be obscured by the past? This book also features eight other "scenes," character-driven short stories with a lot of heart.
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.