Die Research Unit gratuliert Scott Higgins (Wesleyan University) zum Erscheinen seines Buches „Matinee Melodrama: Playing with Formula in the Sound Serial.”

Aus dem Klappentext:

“Long before Batman, Flash Gordon, or the Lone Ranger were the stars of their own TV shows, they had dedicated audiences watching their adventures each week. The difference was that this action took place on the big screen, in short adventure serials whose exciting cliffhangers compelled the young audience to return to the theater every seven days.
 
Matinee Melodrama is the first book about the adventure serial as a distinct artform, one that uniquely encouraged audience participation and imaginative play. Media scholar Scott Higgins proposes that the serial’s incoherent plotting and reliance on formula, far from being faults, should be understood as some of its most appealing attributes, helping to spawn an active fan culture. Further, he suggests these serials laid the groundwork not only for modern-day cinematic blockbusters like Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark, but also for all kinds of interactive media that combine spectacle, storytelling, and play.”

Mehr Informationen finden sich auf der Verlagsseite und in einem Video, das Scott als Einführung in die Thematiken des Buches aufgezeichnet hat.