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Profane Parables: Film and the American Dream
The sacred ethos of the American Dream has become a central pillar of American civil religion. The belief that meaning is fashioned from some mixture of family, friends, a stable career, and financial security permeates American culture. "Profane Parables" examines three films that assault this venerated American myth. "Fight Club" (1999), "American Beauty" (1999), and "About Schmidt" (2002) indict the American Dream as a meaningless enterprise that is existentially, ethically, and aesthetically bankrupt. In their blistering critique of the hallowed wisdom of the American Dream, these films function like Jesus parables. As narratives of disorientation, Jesus parables upend conventional and cherished worldviews. Author Matthew Rindge illustrates the religious function of these films as parables of subversion that provoke rather than comfort and disturb rather than stabilize. Ultimately, Rindge considers how these parabolic films operate as sacred texts in their own right."
191 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2016
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About the author
Matthew S. Rindge
3 books3 followersMatthew S. Rindge (Ph.D., Emory University) is Professor of Religious Studies at Gonzaga University where he teaches "Bible and Film," "Religion and Film," "Life and Teachings of Jesus," and "Critics of Christianity." He previously taught at Emory University, Columbia Theological Seminary, and in many Asian, European, and Latin American countries.
Dr. Rindge's most recent book is Bible and Film: The Basics (Routledge), appearing in July 2021. He is also the author of Profane Parables: Film and the American Dream (Baylor University Press, 2016) and Jesus' Parable of the Rich Fool: Luke 12:13-34 among Ancient Conversations on Death and Possessions (Society of Biblical Literature, 2011).
He has published scholarly articles on diverse topics and has also written for public outlets such as The Washington Post.
In 2011, Dr. Rindge was honored to receive the Paul J. Achtemeier Award in New Testament Scholarship, and in 2012 and 2018 he received Gonzaga University Exemplary Faculty awards.
Dr. Rindge's most recent book is Bible and Film: The Basics (Routledge), appearing in July 2021. He is also the author of Profane Parables: Film and the American Dream (Baylor University Press, 2016) and Jesus' Parable of the Rich Fool: Luke 12:13-34 among Ancient Conversations on Death and Possessions (Society of Biblical Literature, 2011).
He has published scholarly articles on diverse topics and has also written for public outlets such as The Washington Post.
In 2011, Dr. Rindge was honored to receive the Paul J. Achtemeier Award in New Testament Scholarship, and in 2012 and 2018 he received Gonzaga University Exemplary Faculty awards.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 4, 2016
Profane Parables invites readers to engage with the text in several ways. Readers are encouraged to view the featured films, as may be expected. But additionally, readers are confronted with discrepancies between social expectations and social reality as well as each film's attempt to dismantle society's idolatry towards various definitions of success.
Matthew Rindge makes a solid case for his premise, but his book is important more for the discussion it will promote than simply for his writing. He traces the history and illusion of the American Dream, identifies the parable as an inherently subversive narrative, and demonstrates how three American films at the turn of the millennium fulfill the requirements identifying as modern parables.
The post-reading dialogue stemming from this book matters because currently, most readers of parables have lost any sense their subversive nature due to generations of religious normalization. The same readers are also likely to dismiss these films superficially for violating their sense of decorum and morality. The secular viewer, by contrast, may miss some of the sacred nature of the themes in the films, perhaps not supposing that loss of faith may itself be part of what makes faith possible.
Rindge uses Fight Club, American Beauty, and About Schmidt to illustrate his points, but the implicit suggestion is that the viewer could choose a handful of other cinematic choices to either corroborate or challenge Rindge's premise (I'd probably choose Buffalo '66, Memento, and Hurlyburly). I'd like to see this idea of film choice explored further especially as it might be voiced by female writers and writers of color.
Recommended for use in classes of various disciplines.
Matthew Rindge makes a solid case for his premise, but his book is important more for the discussion it will promote than simply for his writing. He traces the history and illusion of the American Dream, identifies the parable as an inherently subversive narrative, and demonstrates how three American films at the turn of the millennium fulfill the requirements identifying as modern parables.
The post-reading dialogue stemming from this book matters because currently, most readers of parables have lost any sense their subversive nature due to generations of religious normalization. The same readers are also likely to dismiss these films superficially for violating their sense of decorum and morality. The secular viewer, by contrast, may miss some of the sacred nature of the themes in the films, perhaps not supposing that loss of faith may itself be part of what makes faith possible.
Rindge uses Fight Club, American Beauty, and About Schmidt to illustrate his points, but the implicit suggestion is that the viewer could choose a handful of other cinematic choices to either corroborate or challenge Rindge's premise (I'd probably choose Buffalo '66, Memento, and Hurlyburly). I'd like to see this idea of film choice explored further especially as it might be voiced by female writers and writers of color.
Recommended for use in classes of various disciplines.
October 23, 2019
I need a knowledge of the Bible. Old and New. I personally am ignorant. But, hell yeah he captured dummies like me. I read and read. Thumbs up.
April 18, 2016
Read this book to experience the very kind of narrative disorientation and moments of profane revelation that Rindge analyzes.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews