Ian Fleming & James Bond

by Comentale, Edward P.

• ISBN13: 9780253217431
• ISBN10: 0253217431
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-05-01
• Publisher: Indiana Univ Pr

Summary

"This is a compelling and important book... [that] makes a significant contribution not only to studies of Bond and Ian Fleming but also to studies of popular culture in general." -- Michael BérubéThe Cold War agent of pulp fiction and the hero of more than a dozen movies, James Bond, also known as 007, is one of pop culture's most recognizable icons. Doubtless better known from film than from Ian Fleming's novels, the character has become a lightning rod for criticism from all camps. And yet somehow his popularity remains intact.But who is James Bond? Ian Fleming and James Bond: The Cultural Politics of 007 is an entertaining and revealing examination of the many facets of Bond. Before Bond became a cinematic icon, he was the protagonist of a series of thrillers that appeared during the time of Britain's decline as a major power and the heating up of the Cold War. Fleming's character gave expression to biases and anxieties that continue to shape our political worldview in ways both obvious and covert.Fifteen spirited and engaging essays -- all new to this volume -- cover topics including Bond's Britishness, James Bond and JFK, homosexual panic and lesbian Bond-age, the James Bond lifestyle, and Bond's brands.The contributors are Alexis Albion, Dennis W. Allen, James Chapman, Edward P. Comentale, Vivian Halloran, Jaime Hovey, Aaron Jaffe, Christoph Lindner, Andrew Lycett, Patrick O'Donnell, Craig N. Owens, Brian Patton, Judith Roof, Stephen Watt, and Skip Willman.

Author Biography

Edward P. Comentale, Assistant Professor of English at Indiana University, is author of Masses in Relation: Art and Politics in Avant-garde England, 1909--1915. He lives in Bloomington, Indiana.

Stephen Watt is Professor of English and Cultural Studies at Indiana University, and author of Postmodern/Drama: Reading the Contemporary Stage and Joyce, O'Casey, and the Irish Popular Theater. He lives in Bloomington, Indiana.

Skip Willman is Assistant Professor of English at the University of South Dakota. He lives in Vermillion, South Dakota.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Andrew Lycett	vii
Introduction	xi
Abbreviations	xxv
I. The Subject Is Bond
1 Fleming's Company Man: James Bond and the Management of Modernism
EDWARD P. COMENTALE	3	(21)
2 "Alimentary, Dr. Leiter": Anal Anxiety in Diamonds Are Forever
DENNIS W. ALLEN	24	(18)
3 Lesbian Bondage, or Why Dykes Like 007
JAIME HOVEY	42	(13)
4 James Bond, Cyborg-Aristocrat
PATRICK O'DONNELL	55	(16)
II. Ian Fleming and Style
5 Living the James Bond Lifestyle
JUDITH ROOF	71	(16)
6 James Bond, Meta-Brand
AARON JAFFE	87	(20)
7 The Bond Market
CRAIG N. OWENS	107	(22)
III. Ian Fleming and the Global Imaginary
8 Bond and Britishness,
JAMES CHAPMAN	129	(15)
9 Shoot Back in Anger: Bond and the "Angry Young Man"
BRIAN PATTON	144	(14)
10 Tropical Bond
VIVIAN HALLORAN	158	(20)
11 The Kennedys, Fleming, and Cuba: Bond's Foreign Policy
SKIP WILLMAN	178	(24)
12 Wanting to Be James Bond
ALEXIS ALBION	202	(21)
IV. Structures of Feeling
13 Why Size Matters
CHRISTOPH LINDNER	223	(15)
14 007 and 9/11, Specters and Structures of Feeling
STEPHEN WATT	238	(23)
Acknowledgments	261	(2)
Works Cited	263	(8)
Contributors	271	(4)
Index	275