The Lexicons of Cult Film
Rhetoric, Media, and The Big Lebowski
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22007389 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Andrew C Jones (0000-0003-4938-3578, Davis & Elkins College), Sebastian Williams (0000-0002-9965-1908, Davis & Elkins College), Lonnie Martin (Davis & Elkins College) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 101-126 |
| Publication date | 2025-05-27 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | CINEJ Cinema Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2158-8724 • E-ISSN: 2159-2411 |
| Publisher | University Library System, University of Pittsburgh (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.5195/cinej.2025.659 |
| OpenAlex | W4410764191 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 1 |
In this paper, we explore how The Big Lebowski provides “equipment for living,” to explain the Lebowski phenomenon and answer the question: How do individuals use The Big Lebowski to communicate across cultures? In answer to this question, we argue that the shared lexicon of the cult film serves as a diagnostic tool, which fans use to identify each other, size up their situation, and determine a course of action. In one sense, the film is both a representative anecdote and an unrepresentative anecdote, which draws viewers into a comic frame and allows them to see new ways of thinking and acting in an otherwise typical situation. Ultimately, the co-opting of the film’s ethos and lexicon by fans “individualizes” popular culture, subverting film (a big-budget medium historically dominated by the auteur-director model) and positioning fans as both artistic consumers and creators
Art · Cult · Linguistics · Political science · Rhetoric · Sociology · Cinema and Media Studies · Law · Media Studies and Communication · Philosophy · Rhetoric and Communication Studies
| Highly cited | No |
|---|