Fight Club - Revision Guide

Themes and things to talk about

1. CAPITALISM / CONSUMERISM in the late 90s
2. MASCULINITY IN CRISIS in the late 90s
3. THE UNCONSCIOUS MIND FEARS and DESIRES
4. CRITICAL OPINIONS

Published Critical Approaches

Critic / Basic view of Fight Club

Writer

Ebert just a thrill ride masquerading as

philosophy.

McCullough The anger and distrust in society by our

characters is directed at economic disparity
and other various forms of alienation.

Shary explores the absent father and oedipal

anxieties played out in the inability to
develop a mature masculinity.

Clark reasserts a masculine identity threatened

by the feminisation of American culture

Saco positions Tyler as an object of homoerotic

desire (female gaze position)

Taubin is about the monstrous thrill of violence

and the fragility of men

Giroux has nothing substantive to say about the

structural violence of unemployment, job
insecurity and cuts in public spending

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Theories you might like to apply:

Marxism Gramsci commodity fetishism

Feminism The male female Marla

Internal US Terrorism Durden as a new

Mcveigh (Oklahoma bombing)

Generation X Douglas Couplands novel

and concept of the slacker genration with
McJobs

Bullshit Jobs David Graebers concept of

meaningless jobs are essential to a
capitalist system.

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Here are some past paper questions and a
mark scheme:
YOU ONLLY ANSWER ONE QUESTION ON
FIGHT CLUB

GENERAL
QUESTIONS
THERE ARE 2 OF THESE IN THE PAPER
Explore some of the ways in which placing your chosen film within a
broader critical
framework has helped to develop your appreciation and
understanding of specific sequences.

How far has critical debate about your chosen film shaped and
altered your response?

How useful has a particular critical approach been in gaining a

deeper understanding and appreciation of your chosen film?

Explain how your understanding of your chosen film has been

influenced by critical debates?

What does your chosen film reveal about the usefulness of one or
more critical

OR
FIGHT CLUB SPECIFIC
QUESTIONS
THERE IS ONE OF THESE IN THE PAPER

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Discuss critically some of the characteristics of Fight Club that have
given it cult status as a Film.

Marla is at the root of it, says Jack in Fight Club. Discuss what this
statement reveals about bout the film as a whole .

Despite the gesture of destroying symbols of corporate power at the

end, Fight Club is a film about power and control, not liberation.
How far do you agree?

Fight Club is a thrill ride masquerading as philosophy How far do

you agree?

MARK SCHEME

Level 3 upper (21 -23)

At the upper end of this level, candidates will have a good knowledge and
understanding of their chosen films and topic. Clear points of view will be
developed and the use of appropriate specialist language will inform
discussion.
Quality of written communication will be good. It will be fluent, well-
structured and accurate.
Level 4 Lower (24 27)
At the lower end of this level, candidates will be distinguished by a very
good knowledge and confident understanding of their chosen films and
topic. Points of view will be developed very effectively with appropriate
specialist language a feature of all film references.
Quality of written communication will be very good. It will be fluent, well-
structured and accurate, showing signs of sophistication.
Level 4 Upper (28 30 )
At the upper end of this level, candidates will be distinguished by an
excellent knowledge and a highly sophisticated understanding of their
chosen films and topics. Arguments will be developed with subtlety,
showing a keen respect for the quality of evidence and a natural
scepticism. There will be a high level investigative approach with signs of
genuine originality.
Quality of written communication will be excellent. It will be fluent, well-
structured and accurate, showing considerable sophistication.

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Fight Club is a thrill ride masquerading as
philosophy How far do you agree?

Start by outlining what the question is asking you. Remember:

Be critical: Agree to some extent but make sure you argue
against the point raised in the question.
Balance: Ensure you outline that there is more than one
critical view of the film
Themes: Regardless of the question, always talk about at
least THREE critical opinions
Write your findings into an introductory paragraph that outlines
your discussion. I have underlined the parts that cover the
three above points.
Marla is an important element of understanding the film Fight
Club from a critical perspective. Equally as important to this
her, according to Diana Saco is the character Tyler who is
positioned as an object of homoerotic desire . However, by
simply assuming that this film is about gender representation
and interactions can be far too simplistic. It does not allow to
consider valid points about the struggles of late capitalism that
John McCullough discusses, nor the psychoanalytical approach
presented by Timothy Shary. Fight Club is a stylish film and
what follows is an analysis of both the film itself, but also the
range of critical voice on the film.

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Then construct your essay based upon what you outlined in
your introduction. Include in every paragraph:
A point that relates to the introduction.
A critical view that supports your point.
A piece of textual analysis that supports your point.
An explanation of how your point expands, explores the
initial question.

Use the example on the next page to help you:

POINT In this Indeed, Marla is presented as an almost

box write a anarcho punk femme fatale. The Narrator
statement that introduces her in the non-diegetic voice over
responds to the as this chick and his view of women begins
question you to be clear at the exposition of the narrative.
are being
asked. Either
agree or
disagree.

TEXTUAL In their first meeting for example, the

EVIDENCE audience is encouraged to feel excited by
Relate your Marlas introduction. She is dangerous,
point directly to flirtatious and mysterious. She wears a large
an extract from black hat and sunglasses, Audrey Hepburn
the film. esqe and the slow motion zoom into her
Mention: Mise- taking a pull on her cigarette shows her
en-scene, suggests she exists as an iconic female with
cinematography robust responses to any criticism.
, editing, sound.
THEORY Bring Suzanne Clark notes in her article that men
in an element of are psychologically threatened by the
theory to help femization of American culture.
support the

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point you are
making.
EXPLANATION This demonstrates that the introduction of
Explain how all Marla as a narrative device is important, since
of the above it allows the audience to understand far more
helps you about the Narrrator at the exposition. He is
answer the immature, incapable of coping with his urges
question. and responses when confronted with a
female..

REMEMBER: These sections dont need to follow the order on

the page here. Just make sure every section is covered in your
paragraph.

On the next page is a practice you can complete. Use what Ive
put here as a guide!

Despite the gesture of destroying symbols of corporate

power at the end, Fight Club is a film about power and
control, not liberation. How far do you agree?

In the space below write an introduction:

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

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________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Now write a paragraph that helps you explain an element of

this question using the table:

POINT In this ______________________________________________

box write a ______________________________________________
statement that ______________________________________________
responds to the ______________________________________________
question you ______________________________________________
are being ______________________________________________
asked. Either ______________________________________________
agree or ______________________________________________
disagree.

TEXTUAL ______________________________________________
EVIDENCE ______________________________________________
Relate your ______________________________________________
point directly to ______________________________________________
an extract from ______________________________________________
the film. ______________________________________________
Mention: Mise- ______________________________________________
en-scene, ______________________________________________
cinematography
, editing, sound.

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THEORY Bring ______________________________________________
in an element of ______________________________________________
theory / critical ______________________________________________
opinion to help ______________________________________________
support the ______________________________________________
point you are ______________________________________________
making. ______________________________________________
______________________________________________

EXPLANATION ______________________________________________
Explain how all ______________________________________________
of the above ______________________________________________
helps you ______________________________________________
answer the ______________________________________________
question. ______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________