Bigger Than Ben-Hur: The Book, its Adaptations, and Their Audiences (Television and Popular Culture) (en Inglés)
Reseña del libro "Bigger Than Ben-Hur: The Book, its Adaptations, and Their Audiences (Television and Popular Culture) (en Inglés)"
First published in 1880, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ became a best-seller. Thepopular novel spawned an 1899 stage adaptation, reaching audiences of over10 million, and two highly successful film adaptations. For over a century, it hasbecome a ubiquitous pop cultural presence, representing a deeply powerful storyand monumental experience for some and a defining work of bad taste and falsepiety for others. The first and only collection of essays on this pivotal cultural icon,Bigger Than “Ben-Hur” addresses Lew Wallace’s beloved classic to explore itspolarizing effect and to expand the contexts within which it can be studied. In the essays gathered here, scholars approach Ben-Hur from multiple directions―religious and secular, literary, theatrical, and cinematic―to understandnot just one story in varied formats but also what they term the “Ben-Hur tradition.”Drawing from a wide range of disciplines, contributions include the riseof the Protestant novel in the United States; relationships between and amongreligion, spectacle, and consumerism; the “New Woman” in early Hollywood;and a “wish list” for future adaptations, among others. Together, these essaysexplore how this remarkably fluid story of faith, love, and revenge has remainedrelevant to audiences across the globe for over 130 years.
