Generation Multiplex: The Image Of Youth In Contemporary American Cinema

g e n e r at i on m u lt i p l e x THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK G E N E R AT I O N M U LT I P L E X The Image of Youth in Contemporary American Cinema by Timothy Shary f or e wor d by David Considine University of Texas Press, Austin Copyright © 2002 by the University of Texas Press All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America First edition, 2002 Requests for permission to reproduce material from this work should be sent to Permissions, University of Texas Press, P.O. Box 7819, Austin, TX 78713-7819. ∞ The paper used in this book meets the minimum requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (R1997) (Permanence of Paper). library of congress cataloging-in-publication data Shary, Timothy, 1967– Generation multiplex : the image of youth in contemporary American cinema / by Timothy Shary ; foreword by David Considine. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-292-77752-3 (alk. paper) — ISBN 0-292-77771-X (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Youth in motion pictures. 2. Motion pictures—United States. I. Title. PN1995.9.Y6 S53 2002 791.43’652054—dc21 2001008470 to carolyn anderson without whom this book and much of my career would not have been possible and to the fond memory of andy anderson beloved professor, colleague, husband, and father two great teachers who have inspired countless young people like myself THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK contents foreword by david considine preface x i i i acknowledgments x v Chapter 1. introduction: the cinematic image of youth ix 1 Social Representation and Genre Analysis 11 The Study of Youth, In and Out of Movies 19 Chapter 2. youth in school: academics and attitud