Page 237 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media

CHAPTER 9

Table 9.1

Mythic Themes
Some genres are particularly well suited for particular mythic themes.

Genre Themes
Quiz shows Greed
Free will vs. fate
Good fortune
The gangster genre The conflict between good and evil egocentric satisfaction
vs. societal restraints
The price of loyalty and betrayal appearance vs. reality
The hubris of human greatness/power
The limits of narcissism and greed
Temptation vs. control
The horror genre Good and evil
Appearance/reality. What appears to be order is chaos,
lying dormant
The vanity of human greatness/power
Moral decay
The influence of the past on the present
The loss of control

of a vampire, monster, or devil. However, the genre of film noir considers
a number of questions about the nature of evil:

• What is the origin of evil?
• Is evil absolute?
• What motives or conditions lead to evil behavior?
• Why are human beings attracted to evil?
• What are the targets of evil?
• Is evil ever justified? If so, when?
As an example, Double Indemnity (1944), a film noir classic, presents
a worldview in which all human beings are capable of evil. Walter Burns
(Fred MacMurray) is an Everyman—an average guy who works as an
insurance salesman. But after meeting Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stan-
wyck), Burns is overwhelmed by passion and greed. The two team up to
murder Phyllis’s husband, making it look like an accident so that they

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