The Prettiest Woman (Forerunners: Ideas First)

By: Grant Farred

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Synopsis: Uncovering Hollywood&’s perpetual longing for a lost industrial America &“We don&’t make things in America anymore&”: like clockwork, this refrain resurfaces in political discourse, a reflection of yearning for a bygone era of industrial productivity. In his latest work, Grant Farred uses the 1990 film Pretty Woman to expose and critique this lingering nostalgia for late-industrial capitalism. Situating Pretty Woman alongside Reagan-era films including Wall Street, Farred examines the congealment of such a pervasive romanticized view of the United States as a fading industrial powerhouse. Drawing on an eclectic range of thinkers—from Raymond Williams and Slavoj Žižek to Mick Jagger—The Prettiest Woman offers a unique analysis of the ways Hollywood perpetuates the myth of a lost &“productive America,&” highlighting the seductive power of this fantasy despite its disconnect from economic and political realities.

Book Quality:: Publisher Quality
ISBN-13:: 9781452972060
Related ISBNs:: 9781517918323
Publisher:: University of Minnesota Press
Date of Addition:: 11/18/25
Copyrighted By:: Irving Music, Inc. and BMG Rights Management
Adult content:: No
Language:: English
Has Image Descriptions:: No
Categories:: History, Entertainment, Nonfiction, Art and Architecture, Social Studies
Submitted By:: Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:: This is a copyrighted book.