Desert Specters
Commemoration and Myth in Doctor Atomic and Oppenheimer
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21788959 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Anna B Gatdula (0009-0002-6225-8149, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Pages | 1-25 |
| Publication date | 2024-11-27 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of the Society for American Music (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1752-1963 • E-ISSN: 1752-1971 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s1752196324000336 |
| OpenAlex | W4404765834 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 21 |
This article explores the cultural commemorations of J. Robert Oppenheimer through the lenses of opera and film, specifically focusing on Christopher Nolan's film Oppenheimer (2023) and Peter Sellars and John Adams's opera Doctor Atomic (2005/2018). It engages with Michel-Rolph Trouillot's theories on history and mythmaking to analyze how these cultural productions function as acts of commemoration that sanitize and mythicize historical processes. The revival of Oppenheimer as a mythic figure reflects a broader societal negotiation with the legacy of nuclear technology and its implications in the twenty-first century. Both the opera and the film reify a political and ideological attachment to the U.S. nuclear complex. Furthermore, this article critically examines the production settings of “Doctor Atomic” at the Santa Fe Opera and Nolan's on-location filming in New Mexico. It argues that these settings add a ritualistic valence to the narrative, enhancing the mythic portrayal of Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project. Through a detailed analysis of narrative strategies and media affordances, this study reveals how contemporary depictions of historical figures and events shape and sustain national myths that support an ongoing attachment to the nuclear complex
Astrobiology · Epistemology · Mythology · Physics · Theology · Cybernetics and Technology in Society · Film in Education and Therapy · Literature, Film, and Journalism Analysis · Philosophy
We now know
The Nuclear Borderlands
Regeneration through violence
Opera and Sovereignty
Troubling time/s and ecologies of nothingness
History and Imperialism
Hungry listening resonant theory for indigenous sound studies
Landscapes of power
Native America
Wastelanding
Radiant Matter
The Political Unconscious
Ritual and Theatre in Tewa Ceremonial Performances
Necropolitics
| Highly cited | No |
|---|