Why Theory

Todd McGowan & Ryan Engley
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  • EVERY TWO MONTHS
Why Theory

Why Theory brings continental philosophy and psychoanalytic theory together to examine cultural phenomena.

  1. Contemporary Horror

    14 OCT

    Contemporary Horror

    Ryan and Todd continue their discussion of the horror film by focusing on the genre since Psycho. They discuss Night of the Living Dead, Carrie, The Shining, The Blair Witch Project, It Follows, and The Substance. Their theorize the modern horror film in relation to the psychoanalytic notion of the death drive.

    1h 47m
  2. Fredric Jameson

    29 SEPT

    Fredric Jameson

    Ryan and Todd pay tribute to the recently deceased theorist Fredric Jameson. They note his deep and wide-ranging contributions to a variety of fields and his unique ability to find something valuable in the object of his critique.

    1h 14m
  3. Horror Film

    16 SEPT

    Horror Film

    Ryan and Todd explore the classical horror film in terms of the antagonism between life and the beyond, inclusive of death. They focus on the films The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Frankenstein, Invisible Man, Godzilla, and Psycho.

    1h 30m
  4. Heist Film

    2 SEPT

    Heist Film

    Ryan and Todd develop their theory of the heist film as a genre, which they see as structured through the opposition between desire and its object. They examine closely Rififi, The Killing, Heat, Ocean's 11, and Inside Man, as well as touching on many other key films of the genre. Hugh Manon's film noir podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0aQXewYjXrMtTjwpJ18rg6

    1h 33m
  5. Sports Film

    18 AUG

    Sports Film

    Ryan and Todd explore the genre of the sports film, focusing on important entries in the genre such as Chariots of Fire, Rocky, and Heaven Can Wait, among others. They define this genre through the category of the impossible and discuss the relationship between possibility and impossibility as it plays out in the sports film.

    1h 41m
  6. New Introductory Lectures

    4 AUG

    New Introductory Lectures

    Ryan and Todd discuss what they see as the important moments from Freud's New Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis--both its highlights and its lowlights. They explore the role that Freud's 1920 discovery of the death drive plays--or doesn't play--in this work.

    1h 22m
  7. Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis

    22 JUL

    Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis

    Ryan and Todd outline the arguments of Freud's Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis and highlight the key ideas that appear in this work. They also discuss what Freud mentions here that he doesn't address elsewhere.

    1h 20m
  8. Suture

    9 JUL

    Suture

    Ryan and Todd delve into the concept of suture, as first developed by Jacques-Alain Miller. They trace the deformation that it underwent through the history of film studies and examine a few films where we can see the different understandings of suture at work.

    1h 14m
See All (178)

About

Why Theory brings continental philosophy and psychoanalytic theory together to examine cultural phenomena.

Information

  • Creator
    Todd McGowan & Ryan Engley
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2024
  • Episodes
    178
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Why Theory

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