“One of the permanent gains we owe to "new Bond studies" is the notion that James Bond is far more mobile a signifier than previous generations of critics imagined. The Cultural Life of James Bond makes an invaluable contribution to this widened view of 007. “Situating the films in a range of new contexts, this trove of essays uncovers previously ignored and even unexpected connections between Bond and such phenomena as black casting and performance, postfeminism, modernism, transnational geographies and taste cultures, and the development of film, television, video game, and music industries across the globe. This book doesn’t just remind us that Bond matters. It reminds us that Bond scholarship matters."
Colin Burnett, Washington University in St. Louis, author of The Invention of Robert Bresson: The Auteur and His Market (2017), says of the book:
30 November 2020
New book on the cultural life of James Bond published
A new book chronicling the evolution of the British secret agent James Bond has been published by a Film Studies academic
A new book chronicling the evolution of the British secret agent James Bond over half a century of political, social, and cultural changes has been published by a Film Studies academic.
The Cultural Life of James Bond: Specters of 007 by Dr Dr Jaap Verheul, Visiting Research Fellow in Film Studies, heralds the arrival of the twenty-fifth installment in the film series, No Time To Die. The movie release was delayed until 2021 following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr Verheul examines the Bond brand beyond the films, including looking at the cultural contexts which the films and books sit within.
Since the release of Dr. No in 1962, the cinematic James Bond has accelerated the revolution of Ian Fleming's literary creation into an icon in western popular culture that has captivated audiences across the globe by transcending barriers of ideology, nation, empire, gender, race, ethnicity, and generation.
Professor Christoph Lindner, University College London, editor of The James Bond Phenomenon: A Critical Reader (2009) said: "This book brings together a supremely talented group of scholars to interrogate 007 in new and innovative ways. The result is a fresh and timely re-examination of the James Bond phenomenon's complicated relationship with popular culture, global media, and transnational geopolitics. The Cultural Life of James Bond is a must-read for 007 scholars and fans alike." -
Dr Verheul’s research focuses on transnational flows of cultural production and distribution in European film and television industries.
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