34 | ROMANTIC COMEDY

A concise and accessible introduction to the analysis of one of the most popular film genres. This volume provides an overview of Hollywood's romantic comedy conventions, examining the iconography, narrative patterns and ideology which inform such films, and analyses the screwball, the sex comedy and the radical romantic comedy of the 1970s, as well as tracing the lasting influence of these earlier forms within current romantic comedies. Extensive coverage ranges from Doris Day and Rock Hudson in Pillow Talk to Woody Allen and Diane Keaton in Annie Hall to Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in You've Got Mail.

February 2007
144 pages

978-1-905674-02-2 (pbk)

£12.99

£11.04 with 15% online discount - add to basket

Tamar Jeffers McDonald is Lecturer in Film Studies at Kent University, UK.

'The romantic comedy may be considered by some a fairly frivolous artform aimed at a specific demographic, yet as this brisk and breezy addition to Wallflower’s ongoing Short Cuts series asserts, the genre does actually have its own conventions and narrative patterns, which are examined in detail here ... Refreshingly free from jargon, this informed study clearly hits its target.'
– Howard Maxford, Film Review

'This volume crams everything from Doris Day to 40 Year-Old Virgin into its 117 pages. Each of its five broad catagories is examined over the lifespan of the genre and includes valuable case studies. Highly recommended.'
– Empire

'An interesting book that discusses a film genre generally overlooked – that of the romantic comedy. The author who admits to being interested in cinema sexuality, film costume and actress Doris Day, explores what audiences expect from these types of film, and whilst she goes into deep analysis of the subject, it makes for very entertaining reading ... A rare glimpse at an era most cinemagoers regard as either being dated or long gone. I loved it. Long live Doris Day!'
– Dave Worrall, Cinema Retro

'Equally as well suited for the classroom, the critic or the casual reader, this book is an indispensable overview of the key forms of Hollywood romantic comedy. Jeffers McDonald unifies previously separate strands of romcom analysis but also builds upon this synthesis to generate a fresh and compelling account.'
– Diane Negra, University of East Anglia