Charlie Kaufman's Möbius Strip: Film, Philosophy and Literary Theory presents Kaufman's diagnosis of alienation and corruption in the modern age as a fundamentally spiritual malady.
Each chapter builds on a theological or metaphysical idea, drawing from thinkers as diverse as Kierkegaard, Kafka, Wittgenstein, and David Foster Wallace, along with spiritual insights from the Talmud, Tibetan Buddhism, and Christian mysticism. This isn't to sell the notion that Charlie Kaufman is a covert religious thinker of any particular stripe. Instead, the book reveals how, behind the surreal whimsy, playfulness, and absurdity of his fictional universes, Kaufman's films collectively present an accurate anatomy of contemporary despair or broken heartedness.
Kaufman's critique engages in what this book terms a "meta-modernity"-a dual mode that oscillates from postmodern irony to sincere engagement with human suffering and angst. The Kaufmanesque text is openly vulnerable and guarded, direct and oblique, playful and lamenting. This book offers an essential guide to understanding Kaufman's unique cinematic vision and its profound engagement with the spiritual crises of our time.
| ISBN: | 9781032501932 |
| Publication date: | 20th July 2026 |
| Author: | Colm OShea |
| Publisher: | Routledge an imprint of Taylor & Francis |
| Format: | Hardback |
| Pagination: | 210 pages |
| Series: | Routledge Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Literature |
| Genres: |
Films, cinema Media studies Literary theory Literary studies: general |
Charlie Kaufman's Möbius Strip: Film, Philosophy and Literary Theory presents Kaufman's diagnosis of alienation and corruption in the modern age as a fundamentally spiritual malady.
Each chapter builds on a theological or metaphysical idea, drawing from thinkers as diverse as Kierkegaard, Kafka, Wittgenstein, and David Foster Wallace, along with spiritual insights from the Talmud, Tibetan Buddhism, and Christian mysticism. This isn't to sell the notion that Charlie Kaufman is a covert religious thinker of any particular stripe. Instead, the book reveals how, behind the surreal whimsy, playfulness, and absurdity of his fictional universes, Kaufman's films collectively present an accurate anatomy of contemporary despair or broken heartedness.
Kaufman's critique engages in what this book terms a "meta-modernity"-a dual mode that oscillates from postmodern irony to sincere engagement with human suffering and angst. The Kaufmanesque text is openly vulnerable and guarded, direct and oblique, playful and lamenting. This book offers an essential guide to understanding Kaufman's unique cinematic vision and its profound engagement with the spiritual crises of our time.
Charlie Kaufman's Moebius Strip features in the following genres: Films, cinema, Media studies, Literary theory, Literary studies: general
Charlie Kaufman's Moebius Strip is available in Hardback
Charlie Kaufman's Moebius Strip was written by Colm OShea and published by Routledge an imprint of Taylor & Francis
Charlie Kaufman's Moebius Strip has 210 pages
Yes it is part of Routledge Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Literature series
£154.79