Abstract
Violent visual imagery is something we encounter daily, mediated through social media, news networks, and popular culture. Conflict is an essential component to any successful story – and violent conflict, whether it be internal, external, or group-driven, has proven to be popular and eye-catching to audiences. Consequently, violent stories are reproduced and promoted across all platforms; viewers are constantly saturated with graphic imagery that can range from news coverage of violent terrorist attacks, to action films, and television cartoons. The frequency by which viewers consume graphic content has increased dramatically over the years, and the nature of such imagery has grown to be exceedingly disturbing and brutal. Our view of the world is inherently mediated and, as such, examining violent media may teach us about the ways in which societies view and rationalize violence, whom we perceive to be the dominant perpetrators of violence, and how we collectively react to and internalize violent depictions onscreen.
Emily Edwards’ Graphic Violence: Illustrated Theories about Violence, Popular Media, and Our Social Lives is an introductory text covering the main theoretical approaches to violent imagery in the media. The majority of the book is dedicated to outlining the effects of media violence on the viewer. The author explains why audiences might seek out violent media, outlines common violent tropes and the victims they produce, and explores the stylistic use of the violent aesthetic. Edwards tackles the herculean task of considering the manifestation of media violence on a variety of platforms, including its depiction in film, videogames, news reports, comic books, television, and on the web.
With each successive chapter, Edwards meticulously lays out prominent theoretical approaches, providing the reader with the tools necessary to critically engage with violent material. Edwards displays impressive familiarity with a wide range of classical sociological theories, including scripting theory, dramatism, the general aggression model, bullet theory, and cultivation theory. She extends these theories, connecting communication and media studies with sociological frameworks.
Theory is at the forefront of Edwards’ examination of violent media, and she excels at applying diverse lenses to graphic media in a way that is easily digestible for the reader. At the conclusion of each chapter, original artwork by Tristan Fuller illustrates and emphasizes Edwards’ points in a visual format. The author also refers to external research in order to debunk assumptions about the effects of graphic media on the viewer or to give empirical weight to her points. Weaving these theoretical accounts with empirical evidence is a major strength of the book. Edwards’ writing is strong and clear, and the additional research legitimizes her claims.
The book is valuable as an introductory guide to theories on violence and visual media. However, without a stated hypothesis or question in mind, chapters at times feel disjointed and lack a cohesive link from one to the next. When presented with such a wealth of information, it would have been helpful if Edwards’ narrative voice was present to weave a link between chapters and to make sense of the vast theoretical landscape that she has introduced to the reader.
Furthermore, Edwards’ investigation of violent imagery lacks sufficient content analysis to ground the theory and to exemplify how it is relevant in daily life. The text would benefit from a greater interrogation of the popular tropes and narratives that dominate violent media today. What makes violent media so insidious is its intersections with systems of oppression and domination. Only in Chapter 8 does Edwards touch upon the role of violent media in perpetuating gender stereotyping, hyper-masculinity, and white supremacy. I would have liked to have seen these topics interwoven throughout the entire book. Understanding the effects of violent imagery is more productive when combined with an in-depth understanding of the content being displayed.
Finally, Edwards’ approach considers a wide variety of media and, consequently, readers are left with a basic understanding of media violence in a variety of forms. However, the book fails to develop in-depth analyses for any specific media type, such as violence as seen in film or on television. It would have profited from a clearer focus and a more elaborate discussion of fewer issues and examples.
These caveats notwithstanding, Emily Edwards’ Graphic Violence: Illustrated Theories about Violence, Popular Media, and Our Social Lives provides the reader with a general overview on predominant theories related to media violence. The book addresses issues about the insidious culture of violence that remains entrenched in popular media today. When considered in its entirety, Graphic Violence serves best as an introductory blueprint for the reader, helping to build the theoretical foundations for further inquiry in the field.