Zizek and the Media – Paul Taylor

Slavoj Zizek reaches the parts of the media that other theorists cannot. With sources ranging from Thomas Aquinas to Quentin Tarantino and Desperate Housewives to Dostoyevsky, Zizek mixes high theory with low culture more engagingly than any other thinker alive today. His prolific output includes such media friendly content as a TV series (The Pervert's Guide to Cinema) a documentary movie (Zizek!) and a wealth of YouTube clips. A celebrity academic, he walks the media talk. Zizek and the Media provides a systematic and approachable introduction to the main concepts and themes of Zizek's work, and their particular implications for the study of the media. The book: Describes the radical nature of Zizek's media politics Uses Zizekian insights to expose the profound intellectual limitations of conventional approaches to the media Explores the psychoanalytical and philosophical roots of Zizek's work Provides the reader with Zizekian tools to uncover the hidden ideologies of everyday media content; Explains the ultimate seriousness that underlies his numerous jokes. As likely to discuss Homer's Springfield as Ithaca, Zizek is shown to be the ideal guide for today's mediascape.