MACMILLAN Heading North: The North of England in Film and Television

Product Description This collection presents a number of films and television programmes set in the North of England in an investigation of how northern identity imbricates with class, race, gender, rural and urban identities. Heading North considers famous screen images of the North, such as Coronation Street and Kes (1969), but the main purpose is to examine its lesser known facets. From Mitchell and Kenyon’s ‘Factory Gate’ films to recent horror series In the Flesh, the authors analyse how the dominant narrative of the North of England as an ‘oppressed region’ subordinated to the economically and politically powerful South of England is challenged. The book discusses the relationship between the North of England and the rest of the world and should be of interest to students of British cinema and television, as well as to those broadly interested in its history and culture. Review “This is a lucidly written, necessary book, with several exceptionally insightful chapters, which will be useful to postgraduates and scholars concerned with Northern screen fictions.” (Tom May, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Vol. 39 (4), 2019) “Mazierska begins the collection with what I consider the most rigorous survey of the canonical screen North written so far. It opens by defining the theoretical object of the North with which the collection is concerned. Dealing with a notoriously loose designation of place, Mazierska clearly establishes the North under examination as being the imagination of place: a set of images, stereotypes, myths.” (Daniel Martin, Critical Studies in Television, Vol. 14 (4), September, 2019) Review “Ill defined, changing and culturally complex, a society woven around distinctive landscapes, “the North” remains a major feature of British life. It clearly warrants the careful attention provided in this exciting new collection. Eschewing well-worn clichés, the various authors cast new light on neglected issues, exploring the physical and social boundaries of an enduring region.” (Huw Beynon, Cardiff University, UK) “Heading North is a valuable addition to the growing body of work on the North of England as a previously maligned and neglected region. Written predominantly by Northern-based scholars the book presents some new (Northern) perspectives on a few familiar films and television programmes, in addition to providing a welcome assessment of some previously neglected aspects of Northern culture. For anyone interested in current debates about the North and the representation of Northern identities in film and television this collection is highly recommended.” (Lez Cooke, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK) From the Back Cover This collection presents a number of films and television programmes set in the North of England in an investigation of how northern identity imbricates with class, race, gender, rural and urban identities. Heading North considers famous screen images of the North, such as Coronation Street and Kes (1969), but the main purpose is to examine its lesser known facets. From Mitchell and Kenyon’s ‘Factory Gate’ films to recent horror series In the Flesh, the authors analyse how the dominant narrative of the North of England as an ‘oppressed region’ subordinated to the economically and politically powerful South of England is challenged. The book discusses the relationship between the North of England and the rest of the world and should be of interest to students of British cinema and television, as well as to those broadly interested in its history and culture. About the Author Ewa Mazierska is Professor of Film Studies at the University of Central Lancashire, UK. She has published widely on European cinema, Marxism, representation of work and popular music. She is the author of From Self-Fulfilment to Survival of the Fittest (2015).