The Spectacle of Twins in American Literature and Popular Culture

The cultural fantasy of twins imagines them as physically and behaviorally identical. Media portrayals consistently offer the spectacle of twins who share an insular closeness and perform a supposed alikeness--standing side by side, speaking and acting in unison.
Treating twinship as a cultural phenomenon, this first comprehensive study of twins in American literature and popular culture examines the historical narrative--within the discourses of experimentation, aberrance and eugenics--and how it has shaped their representations in the 20th and 21st centuries.

List of contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction: A History of Twins in the United States

One-"A Chill of Similitude": Disturbing Likeness in Photographic and Literary Representations of Twins

Two-The Sexual Fantasy of Twins: Twincest and Triangulated Desire

Three-Keeping It in the Family: Twins and Race in William Melvin Kelley's dem and Toni Morrison's Paradise

Four-Twins as Goodwill Cultural Ambassadors: The Educational Goals of Lucy Fitch Perkins's

Foreign Twins Series

Five-The Twin Companion: Twins Branding in Juvenile Media

Six-Wombmates for Life: Inside the Subculture of Twinship

Conclusion

Chapter Notes

Bibliography

Index

About the author

Karen Dillon teaches literature and writing at Blackburn College in Carlinville, Illinois, where she specializes in American and African-American literature. She lives in Carlinville.

Product details

• Authors: Karen Dillon, Dillon Karen
• Publisher: Ingram Publishers Services
• Languages: English
• Age Recommendation: from age 18
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 03.08.2018
• EAN: 9781476666969
• ISBN: 978-1-4766-6696-9
• No. of pages: 204
• Dimensions: 152 mm x 229 mm x 10 mm
• Weight: 254 g
• Illustrations: Raster,schwarz-weiss
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative literary studies; Social sciences, law, business > Social sciences (general); Popular Culture, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Popular Culture, ART / General, LITERARY CRITICISM / Reference, Art forms, Literary companions, book reviews & guides, The Arts: art forms, Literary companions, book reviews and guides