The Stuff of Spectatorship

"In crystalline language, and in breathtakingly original argumentation, Caetlin Benson-Allott shows us that the material objects we may take to be adjacent, ambient, or peripheral to cinema and television in fact constitute how we live with those media--indeed, how we live. The Stuff of Spectatorship makes matter's mattering shine."--Nick Salvato, author of Television Scales"The Stuff of Spectatorship is sui generis, its expansive and rigorous case studies focusing on neglected, yet common, material aspects of film/TV spectatorship so as to reveal the reversible modalities and effects of both industrial and phenomenological 'incorporation' and 'consumption.' Original, surprising, and a pleasure to read, this is an extraordinary historical and methodological contribution to film and media studies."--Vivian Sobchack, author of Carnal Thoughts: Embodiment and Moving Image Culture "Original, bold, and evocative, this book reveals that spectatorship involves a dazzling array of objects--from formats to furniture, from wine to weed. Benson-Allott's clever exploration of material media cultures opens up new paths of inquiry in cinema and media studies and delivers a riveting read along the way!"--Lisa Parks, author of Rethinking Media Coverage: Vertical Mediation and the War on Terror