Star Trek and the Philosophy of Entertainment: Beauty, Justice, and Popular Culture (Peter Lang Prompt)

"Drawing on Hegel's model of aesthetics and beauty to analyze the Star Trek franchise, this book puts justice at the center of the "beauty" - and entertainment value - of popular culture. The author, George A. Gonzalez, shows that plot - revolving around justice and injustice - often determines the artistic success and popularity of TV and film franchises. He argues that Start Trek is the most popular franchise in history because it puts the pursuit of justice, and therefore beauty, at the heart of its world. Star Trek and the Philosophy of Entertainment also offers a major corrective to the prevailing academic treatment of popular culture, demonstrating that Star Trek and other shows consistently challenge class rule and other forms of oppression based on race, gender, and nationality. In the world of Star Trek, justice is represented by a modern, classless society, totally free of ethnic and gender biases"-- Provided by publisher Cover HalfTitle Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Contents ·1· A Philosophy of Entertainment Justice and Popular Culture Idealism and Popular Culture Class Conflict and Beauty Conclusion and Book Overview ·2· The Cases of Nazi Cinema and the American war in Vietnam Nazi Cinema The Politics of Nazi Feature Films Popular Culture and the Vietnam War (In)Justice of the American War in Vietnam Conclusion ·3· The Progressive Politics of 1950s Sci-Fi Movies and Star Trek of the 1960s The Enlightenment and Outer Space Popular Culture Sci-Fi and Anti-Communism Globalism Conclusion ·4· Star Trek (Original Series) at the Center of the Justice (Values) Revolution of the 1960s Star Trek as Feminist Tract Women as Strong Women as Second Class Citizens Anti-Racism An Anti-Jim Crow Polemic Conclusion ·5· Star Trek and the Progressive Dialectic: The Depiction of the Marxist Ontology of Justice Star Trek and Capitalism Neoliberalism Conclusion ·6· The Boys and Justice League Unlimited: The Super Hero as Metaphorical of Global (In)Justice Modernity and the Superhero Democracy Wealth Inequality Neoliberalism American Militarism Conclusion Conclusion Popular Culture as Prime Political Terrain in the Struggle for Democracy/Justice Bibliography