Biopics Past, Present, and Future: Erasure, Embellishment, and the Social Imaginary (PAMLA (Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association))
San Franciso
Organization: PAMLA
Event: PAMLA (Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association)
Categories:
American, Interdisciplinary, British, Popular Culture, African-American, Colonial, Revolution & Early National, Transcendentalists, 1865-1914, 20th & 21st Century, Medieval, Early Modern & Renaissance, Long 18th Century, Romantics, Victorian, 20th & 21st Century, Aesthetics, Anthropology/Sociology, Classical Studies, Cultural Studies, Environmental Studies, Film, TV, & Media, Food Studies, History, Philosophy
Event Date: 2025-11-20
to 2025-11-23
Abstract Due: 2025-05-15
Submit Abstract
Biopics, as cinematic documents that fabricate a bildungsroman of an aspiring hero, often take considerable liberties with known facts about the protagonist, whether it is Harvey Milk, Shirley Muldowney, Bob Dylan, Ghandi, T.E. Lawrence, Desmond T. Doss, or James Brown. This panel will examine the methods by which a variety of biopics make use of hyper-subjectivity to generate the afterimage of historical interventions.
William Mohr
