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cultural analysis of children and parenting as portrayed in Hollywood films of the 1990's

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Date Issued:
2001
Summary:
Because the film genre categorized as "family" has become a larger segment of the film industry in the last decade, family films have become an abundant source of cultural information about children and family structure. This study examines from a cognitive perspective how preadolescent children and their parents are portrayed in mainstream Hollywood films during the 1990's, how these film narratives reflect the durability of core cultural models, and elements of negotiation and change. The portrayal of family relationships and the conceptualization of a child are affected by cultural models surrounding nurturance, self-reliance, success, nostalgia and the future orientation of our culture. Salient issues include the perceived disintegration of the family and the nature of the relationship between fathers and their children. A significant number of films focus on the family from the father's perspective, emphasizing his need to enrich his life beyond the workplace and develop close familial relationships.
Title: A cultural analysis of children and parenting as portrayed in Hollywood films of the 1990's.
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Name(s): Wahlberg, Katherine E.
Florida Atlantic University, Digital Library
Brown, Susan Love, Thesis advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 2001
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 138 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: Because the film genre categorized as "family" has become a larger segment of the film industry in the last decade, family films have become an abundant source of cultural information about children and family structure. This study examines from a cognitive perspective how preadolescent children and their parents are portrayed in mainstream Hollywood films during the 1990's, how these film narratives reflect the durability of core cultural models, and elements of negotiation and change. The portrayal of family relationships and the conceptualization of a child are affected by cultural models surrounding nurturance, self-reliance, success, nostalgia and the future orientation of our culture. Salient issues include the perceived disintegration of the family and the nature of the relationship between fathers and their children. A significant number of films focus on the family from the father's perspective, emphasizing his need to enrich his life beyond the workplace and develop close familial relationships.
Identifier: 9780493418261 (isbn), 12864 (digitool), FADT12864 (IID), fau:9738 (fedora)
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2001.
Subject(s): Children in motion pictures--United States
Family in motion pictures--United States
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12864
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.