FAVKh030 Wes Anderson

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2024
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Ondřej Pavlík, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Ondřej Pavlík, Ph.D.
Department of Film Studies and Audiovisual Culture – Faculty of Arts
Supplier department: Department of Film Studies and Audiovisual Culture – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Sat 5. 10. 9:00–12:40 C34, Sat 30. 11. 9:00–12:40 C34
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
In the course, we will comprehensively explore the work of American director Wes Anderson, his distinctive style, the development of his filmography, and various types of his productions (feature films, short films, and medium-length films, commercials). Anderson's films will also serve as a means to demonstrate how they can be viewed through different perspectives, approaches, and theoretical concepts. This includes the framework of American independent cinema (Indiewood), the analysis of symbolic fictional worlds, the so-called quirky aesthetic, metamodernism, or the use of objects, materials, and puppets. We will also touch upon the concepts of authorship and fandom and attempt to understand why Wes Anderson has managed to attract such a dedicated and sizable audience - and why, to others, his films seem unbearable.
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, the student will be able to: - understand the work of Wes Anderson in relation to its position in the film and media industry
- analyze Anderson's films, the composition and nature of their worlds, and typical storytelling and stylistic techniques
- interpret Anderson's films, particularly in relation to modernity
- grasp their specific tonality and place it within broader aesthetic currents and genre traditions
- consider the intermedial overlaps of Anderson's films and understand their function
- critically reflect on Wes Anderson and his films as a fan phenomenon
Syllabus
  • Wes Anderson: Indiewood icon
  • Childish adults: characters, stories, narrative schemes
  • Quirky: tonality, mood, aesthetics
  • The Andersonian Universe: fictional and symbolic worlds
  • Intermediality: film, literature, theater
  • Living woods: materials, objects, puppets
  • Metamodernism: self-reflexivity and the new sincerity
  • Truth and fiction: Wes Anderson from the perspective of Bruno Latour's philosophy
  • Where is the author?: paratexts, advertisements, parody videos
  • Accidentally Wes Anderson: Andersonian aesthetics in the world around us, fandom, Instagram
Literature
  • PAVLÍK, Ondřej. Soustředěné pohledy do světa umění : Interpretace filmů Wese Andersona (Staring at Art Worlds: Interpreting the Films of Wes Anderson). Cinepur, 2022, p. 52-57. ISSN 1213-516X. URL info
  • JOSEPHSON-STORM, Jason Ānanda. Metamodernism : the future of theory. Chicago: University of Chicago press, 2021, xii, 360. ISBN 9780226786650. info
  • BUCKLAND, Warren. Wes Anderson's symbolic storyworld : a semiotic analysis. First published. New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2019, xii, 203. ISBN 9781501316524. info
  • LATOUR, Bruno. An inquiry into modes of existence : an anthropology of the moderns. Translated by Catherine Porter. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2013, 486 s. ISBN 9780674724990. info
  • KING, Geoff. Indiewood, USA : where Hollywood meets independent cinema. London: I.B. Tauris, 2009, 294 s. ISBN 9781845118259. info
Teaching methods
lectures, film screenings
Assessment methods
final essay
Language of instruction
Czech
Study support
https://is.muni.cz/auth/el/phil/podzim2024/FAVKh030/index.qwarp
Further Comments
Study Materials
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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