Thinking Intermediality

‘This book excellently advocates for considering intermediality not just as a hybrid form, but as a mode of critical thinking that emerges from versatile aesthetic strategies capable of intertwining multiple perspectives on complex issues and cultural connections in our world. A unique contribution to the field that maps out new and exciting areas of study.’ – Ágnes Pethő, Professor of Film Studies, Sapientia University

This collection of essays asks what it means to think intermedially across art forms and media, continents and cultures, research fields and disciplines. Highlighting the intercultural and sociopolitical aspects of artistic creation, the contributors investigate intermedial practice as a potent means to interrogate constructions of identity, challenge power differentials, and unveil the ethical and aesthetic dimension of images. From the immersive visual attractions of the eighteenth-century eidophusikon to online drawing during the Covid-19 epidemic, the essays explore a diverse range of intermedial phenomena, including screen adaptation, the theatrical tableau, phototexts and cross-cultural translation. Casting new light on celebrated figures such as Louise Bourgeois, Marguerite Duras, Jacques Derrida, Orhan Pamuk and Yoko Tawada, as well as lesser-known artists, the book offers a unique perspective on intermediality as a vehicle for intercultural exchange and critical intervention.

François Giraud is a Lecturer in French and Francophone Studies at the University of Edinburgh, where he currently teaches documentary aesthetics, theories of intermediality as well as French language and culture. He is the author of Gesture in French Post-New Wave Cinema (2023).

Marion Schmid is Professor of French Literature and Film at the University of Edinburgh. Her publications on intermediality include Intermedial Dialogues: The French New Wave and the Other Arts (2019) and the edited collection Cinematic Intermediality: Theory and Practice (2021, with Kim Knowles).