ENGLISH LANGUAGE POPULAR CULTURE
AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON
WEEK 8
John Fiske: “All popular culture is a process of struggle…over
[1] meanings of social experience, of
[2] one’s personhood and
[3] its relations to the social order and of
[4] the texts and commodities
of that order”
Themes of the film
- It’s a coming of age story about a young man’s sexuality
- The North was being left behind while the South was prospering. This is what the film is also
about.
- Personhood -> Do you feel at home (are you comfortable) with who you are?
- It’s relations to the social order
Social order Sense of place
Social contract between the people and the What makes a specific geographical location
state. Social contract creates social order. Britain: special and unique? Does it have meaning
monarch; democratic parliament beyond personal experience (subjective)? Tourist
industry is especially interested in this.
Collective conscience: shared beliefs, customs, A feeling of belonging in the people living in a
values; create solidarity. You stand out when specific geographical location -> an emotion,
you step out the collective conscience. Your feeling at home
imagination is vital in creating a sense of
national unity, in creating your idea of the
national culture
The economic base and superstructure A geographical region with a powerful individual
identity -> physically out of the ordinary
Critique on pop culture in contrast to high culture is that it creates stereotypes. Recognisable regions
and identities.
Genius Loci
- In classical culture -> the guardian spirit (divine protector) of a specific geographical area.
- The modern dictionary definition -> the metaphorical “spirit” of a specific geographical area.
- Within fantastic fiction -> a supernatural power located in a specific geographical area
Imagined community -> Imagination had a big role to play in creating a sense of place
Region of the British Isles
- British Isles -> The Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland.
- United Kingdom -> England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales
- Island of Great Britain -> England, Scotland, Wales
1
, - Island of Ireland -> Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland
- Wales -> film location for American Werewolf in London
- Yorkshire -> The setting of the first 20 minutes of American Werewolf in London
- London -> The setting for much of American Werewolf in London
- Cornwall -> The setting of Jamaica Inn
Scotland
- Ferness -> The setting of Local Hero
- Morar -> One of the film locations for Local Hero
- Pennan -> Another film location for Local Hero
The North-South divide
The North is the North, West-Mid and all of Wales. The more North, West, towards Wales you go, the
poorer it becomes. Why does Wales belong to the North -> economic reasons.
The North -> away from the modern world. Wasn’t moving as fast as the South. A cultural gap
happened. -> Is this divide a political myth? The media is encouraging this divide; encourage immigrants
to go South by depicting the North as poor. Not only an economic divide, but also that Northerners are
inherently different -> something AWiL explores.
2
, The South The North
Greater London and South East: Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Durham, Newcastle,
Middlesbrough, Sheffield:
- Political centre (government) - Shipbuilding
- Financial centre (investment banking) - Coal mining
- Cultural centre (music, theatre, arts) - Steel industry
- Light engineering - Heavy engeneering
- Electrical (and) consumer goods
Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol, Warwick: Rural Derbyshire, Yorkshire, Cumberland, Northumbria
- Higher-education centres - Traditionally, a minor agricultural region
- Research and sciences centres - ‘Wilderness’ tourism: Lakes, Moors, Peak District
Somerset, Devon, Cornwall
- Traditionally a major agricultural region
- “Sun-and-Sea” tourism
An American Werewolf in London (1981, John Landis)
Summary
Two American backpackers, David Kessler and Jack Goodman, are trekking across the moors in
Yorkshire. As night falls, they stop at a local pub called the Slaughtered Lamb. Jack notices a five-pointed
star on the wall, but when he asks about it, the pub-goers stop talking and become hostile. The pair
decide to leave, although the pub landlady insists the others should stop them. Instead, the local pub-
goers only warn them to keep to the road, stay clear of the moors and beware of the full moon.
David and Jack end up wandering off the road onto the moors, where they hear mysterious howls in the
distance, which seem to be getting closer. Meanwhile, the crowd in the pub show conflict over letting
the boys go, but refuse to go after them. They start back to the Slaughtered Lamb but realise that
they're now lost and are not alone. The boys are suddenly attacked by an unknown vicious animal,
whereupon Jack is killed. The attacker is finally taken down when it is shot and killed by some of the
pub-goers, who have finally come out to search for the boys. Instead of the dead animal, David, who
survived the attack, sees the corpse of a naked man lying next to him before he passes out.
David is then taken to a hospital in London where he wakes up three weeks later and does not
remember what happened. He is interviewed by police Inspector Villiers who tells him that he and Jack
were attacked by an escaped lunatic, but David insists they were attacked by some sort of
rabid dog or wolf. Jack appears to David as a ghost, and explains they were actually attacked by
a werewolf, revealing that David is now one. Jack urges David to kill himself before the next full moon,
not only because Jack is cursed to be a ghost for as long as the bloodline of the werewolf that attacked
them survives, but also to prevent David from inflicting the same fate on anyone else.
Not surprisingly, David does not believe him, thinking that Jack is a hallucination. Meanwhile, Dr. Hirsch
takes a road trip to the Slaughtered Lamb to see if what David has told him is true. When asked about
the incident, the pub-goers deny any knowledge of David, Jack, or the attack. However, one distraught
pub-goer speaks to Dr. Hirsch outside the pub and says David should not have been taken away, and
that everyone else will be in danger when he transforms. The man is then cut off by a fellow pub-goer.
Upon his release from intensive care, David moves in with Alex Price, a young nurse who grew
infatuated with him in the hospital. He stays in Alex's London apartment, where they later have sex for
the first time. Jack, in a more advanced stage of decay, appears to David to warn him that he will
3
AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON
WEEK 8
John Fiske: “All popular culture is a process of struggle…over
[1] meanings of social experience, of
[2] one’s personhood and
[3] its relations to the social order and of
[4] the texts and commodities
of that order”
Themes of the film
- It’s a coming of age story about a young man’s sexuality
- The North was being left behind while the South was prospering. This is what the film is also
about.
- Personhood -> Do you feel at home (are you comfortable) with who you are?
- It’s relations to the social order
Social order Sense of place
Social contract between the people and the What makes a specific geographical location
state. Social contract creates social order. Britain: special and unique? Does it have meaning
monarch; democratic parliament beyond personal experience (subjective)? Tourist
industry is especially interested in this.
Collective conscience: shared beliefs, customs, A feeling of belonging in the people living in a
values; create solidarity. You stand out when specific geographical location -> an emotion,
you step out the collective conscience. Your feeling at home
imagination is vital in creating a sense of
national unity, in creating your idea of the
national culture
The economic base and superstructure A geographical region with a powerful individual
identity -> physically out of the ordinary
Critique on pop culture in contrast to high culture is that it creates stereotypes. Recognisable regions
and identities.
Genius Loci
- In classical culture -> the guardian spirit (divine protector) of a specific geographical area.
- The modern dictionary definition -> the metaphorical “spirit” of a specific geographical area.
- Within fantastic fiction -> a supernatural power located in a specific geographical area
Imagined community -> Imagination had a big role to play in creating a sense of place
Region of the British Isles
- British Isles -> The Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland.
- United Kingdom -> England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales
- Island of Great Britain -> England, Scotland, Wales
1
, - Island of Ireland -> Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland
- Wales -> film location for American Werewolf in London
- Yorkshire -> The setting of the first 20 minutes of American Werewolf in London
- London -> The setting for much of American Werewolf in London
- Cornwall -> The setting of Jamaica Inn
Scotland
- Ferness -> The setting of Local Hero
- Morar -> One of the film locations for Local Hero
- Pennan -> Another film location for Local Hero
The North-South divide
The North is the North, West-Mid and all of Wales. The more North, West, towards Wales you go, the
poorer it becomes. Why does Wales belong to the North -> economic reasons.
The North -> away from the modern world. Wasn’t moving as fast as the South. A cultural gap
happened. -> Is this divide a political myth? The media is encouraging this divide; encourage immigrants
to go South by depicting the North as poor. Not only an economic divide, but also that Northerners are
inherently different -> something AWiL explores.
2
, The South The North
Greater London and South East: Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Durham, Newcastle,
Middlesbrough, Sheffield:
- Political centre (government) - Shipbuilding
- Financial centre (investment banking) - Coal mining
- Cultural centre (music, theatre, arts) - Steel industry
- Light engineering - Heavy engeneering
- Electrical (and) consumer goods
Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol, Warwick: Rural Derbyshire, Yorkshire, Cumberland, Northumbria
- Higher-education centres - Traditionally, a minor agricultural region
- Research and sciences centres - ‘Wilderness’ tourism: Lakes, Moors, Peak District
Somerset, Devon, Cornwall
- Traditionally a major agricultural region
- “Sun-and-Sea” tourism
An American Werewolf in London (1981, John Landis)
Summary
Two American backpackers, David Kessler and Jack Goodman, are trekking across the moors in
Yorkshire. As night falls, they stop at a local pub called the Slaughtered Lamb. Jack notices a five-pointed
star on the wall, but when he asks about it, the pub-goers stop talking and become hostile. The pair
decide to leave, although the pub landlady insists the others should stop them. Instead, the local pub-
goers only warn them to keep to the road, stay clear of the moors and beware of the full moon.
David and Jack end up wandering off the road onto the moors, where they hear mysterious howls in the
distance, which seem to be getting closer. Meanwhile, the crowd in the pub show conflict over letting
the boys go, but refuse to go after them. They start back to the Slaughtered Lamb but realise that
they're now lost and are not alone. The boys are suddenly attacked by an unknown vicious animal,
whereupon Jack is killed. The attacker is finally taken down when it is shot and killed by some of the
pub-goers, who have finally come out to search for the boys. Instead of the dead animal, David, who
survived the attack, sees the corpse of a naked man lying next to him before he passes out.
David is then taken to a hospital in London where he wakes up three weeks later and does not
remember what happened. He is interviewed by police Inspector Villiers who tells him that he and Jack
were attacked by an escaped lunatic, but David insists they were attacked by some sort of
rabid dog or wolf. Jack appears to David as a ghost, and explains they were actually attacked by
a werewolf, revealing that David is now one. Jack urges David to kill himself before the next full moon,
not only because Jack is cursed to be a ghost for as long as the bloodline of the werewolf that attacked
them survives, but also to prevent David from inflicting the same fate on anyone else.
Not surprisingly, David does not believe him, thinking that Jack is a hallucination. Meanwhile, Dr. Hirsch
takes a road trip to the Slaughtered Lamb to see if what David has told him is true. When asked about
the incident, the pub-goers deny any knowledge of David, Jack, or the attack. However, one distraught
pub-goer speaks to Dr. Hirsch outside the pub and says David should not have been taken away, and
that everyone else will be in danger when he transforms. The man is then cut off by a fellow pub-goer.
Upon his release from intensive care, David moves in with Alex Price, a young nurse who grew
infatuated with him in the hospital. He stays in Alex's London apartment, where they later have sex for
the first time. Jack, in a more advanced stage of decay, appears to David to warn him that he will
3
