Why Theory?: Cultural Critique in Film and Television by Edward Tomarken (review)

The title of the recent book by Edward Tomarken to the field of critical film theory promises an intriguing and important study. This book purports to build on principles presented in Tomarken's 2012, Filmspeak: How to Understand Literary Theory by Watching Movies. With the title of the current work, Tomarken proposes a most pressing question, "Why theory?" Both books seem directed to a general audience that is interested in film and may wish to deepen their understanding by engaging in and learning about different theoretical approaches to further understand films. In our current age, when theory seems to be on the decline but for a few enclaves, the question of why we need theory particularly to critique culture is an important one.

In his introduction to Why Theory?, Tomarken argues that the ideas of literary theory have "become part of the Zeitgeist, the spirit of the age, the world view, whatever term is selected to refer to the climate of thought characteristic of a new era or culture" (2). He contends that because theory is so much a part of the fabric that constructs the world in which we live that it is necessary to understand it in order to fathom our current time. Importantly, for Tomarken, our current age is characterized by "the clash of cultures," a pressing matter that justifies the audience he has chosen for this book. He says, "this issue is not merely a matter of concern to theorists but to all thoughtful people of our time" (5). Theory and culture clashes are, therefore, part of the Zeitgeist; "various cultures surround us. At the same time we are threatened within and without by terrorists trying to destroy our society. Cultural theory addresses these problems" (4). Without a doubt, then, it is a proposition of the utmost importance to the widest audience possible especially in an age when we read about the violent results of such culture clashes in our daily newsfeed. Enticingly, in the last paragraph of the introduction, Tomarken presents the need for an ethical criticism or a type of theory that includes ethics; surely something that is of greatest importance to discuss.

While the book promises an important discussion, it is really quite unfortunate that it fails to deliver. Each chapter follows a format that is predictable and duplicates that of his previous work, Filmspeak. There is perhaps an all too fleeting summary of a few key points from a particular theorist, which frequently relies on secondary sources as if they were the words of the theorist in question. Tomarken follows the brief sketch of ideas with lengthy plot summaries where occasional reference is made to the theoretical point he wishes to illustrate. The fact that the book(s) present so many different types of theory makes me question the premise of the book itself. How is it possible for so many different theories to shape the Zeitgeist? This is a question that is not clearly answered until the conclusion of Why Theory?, when he brings all of the chapters together and shows how the common theme of "culture clash" connects them all. It is unfortunate that this connection, which he promised to make in the introduction, was not clearer in the actual chapters. The argument for the relationship between the various theories and the topic of "culture clash" could have been made more consistently throughout the book. It is unfortunate that the thread of the discussion gets lost in plot summary.

What is perhaps even more upsetting is that the summary of the theory that is supposed to be so much a part of our world and evident in the particular film discussed is superficial to the point of leaving readers with an incorrect understanding. For example, the chapter on Hayden White leaves the reader with the impression that White's theory can be reduced to the concept that, "a story, even a historical story, cannot do without some fiction" (42). He concludes that chapter by saying...