Commodifying the American Other:Irishness in American Gangster Films

Connell García, Raquel
Deleyto Alcalá, Celestino (dir.)

Universidad de Zaragoza, FFYL, 2014
Departamento de Filología Inglesa y Alemana, Área de Filología Inglesa

Graduado en Estudios Ingleses

Resumen: Abstract: This dissertation looks at the usage and portrayal of the Irish-American identity in American gangster films through a critical and theoretical analysis of films from the 1930s to the 2000s. The main hypothesis is that in these films Irishness conveys a duality: a studied dialogue between Americanness and Otherness. The hyphenated identity is approached through the study of masculinity, the importance of community, authenticity and through the analysis of its commodification. In the texts and the discourses they construct, Irishness evokes a certain detachment from the mainstream society, as well as a complex, stereotyped uniqueness—violent, unrefined and low-class. The study opens with an overview of the portrayal of Irishness and its relevance in American cultural and social spheres. It then goes on to examine the usage of Irishness in the gangster genre, placing a special emphasis on the view of the genre proposed by Robert Warshow in “The Gangster as Tragic Hero”. The second part of the dissertation consists of a more in-depth analysis of Irisnhess in The Departed, Scorsese’s most thorough take on the issue of Irisnhess so far.

Palabra(s) clave (del autor): irish ; irishness ; commodifying irishness ; irish gangster ; martin scorsese ; irishness in martin scorsese's films ; cinema studies ; irish-american gangster ; the departed

Tipo de Trabajo Académico: Trabajo Fin de Grado