We’re celebrating the 50th anniversary of Jaws by looking back at Spielberg’s genre-defining original and its progressively wilder sequels. A quartet of films that not only redefined summer horror but also played a pivotal role in shaping contemporary fears of the ocean, the Jaws franchise embraced genre hybridity, influenced public perception of sharks, and contributed to the rise of the summer blockbuster. But are there other reasons that explain the original film’s enduring cultural relevance? We’re diving in today with spoilers, so stay tuned!
Works Cited
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Caputi, Jane. “Jaws as Patriarchal—and Ecocidal—Myth.” “This Shark, Swallow You Whole”: Essays on the Cultural Influence of Jaws, edited by Kathy Merlock Jackson and Philip L. Simpson, McFarland, 2023, pp. 9 – 17.
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Howe, Andrew. “Amity Means Friendship: Jaws and the Post-Vietnam Politics of Perception.” “This Shark, Swallow You Whole”: Essays on the Cultural Influence of Jaws, edited by Kathy Merlock Jackson and Philip L. Simpson, McFarland, 2023, pp. 31 – 45.
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Lucken, Melissa Ford. “Struggling Against the Tide: Narrative Structure and the Human Connection in Jaws.” “This Shark, Swallow You Whole”: Essays on the Cultural Influence of Jaws, edited by Kathy Merlock Jackson and Philip L. Simpson, McFarland, 2023, pp. 46 – 58.
Melia, Matthew. “Relocating the Western in Jaws.” The ‘Jaws’ Book: New Perspectives on the Classic Summer Blockbuster, edited by IQ Hunter and Matthew Melia, Bloomsbury Academic, 2020.
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