“Older-wiser-lesbians” and “baby-dykes”: mediating age and generation in New Queer Cinema

Representations of intersections of gender, age, and sexuality can reveal deep-rooted cultural anxieties about older women and sexuality. Images of lesbian ageing are of particular interest in terms of alterity, as the old/er queer woman can combine layers of otherness—not only is she the cultural “other” within heteronormativity, but she can also appear as the opposite of popular culture’s lesbian chic. In this article, a cultural analysis of a range of films—If These Walls Could Talk 2 (dir. Anderson, Coolidge, and Heche 2000), Itty Bitty Titty Committee (dir. Babbit 2007), The Owls (dir. Dunye 2010), Hannah Free (dir. Carlton 2009), and Cloudburst (dir. Fitzgerald 2011)—considers diverse dramatisations of lesbian generations. This article interrogates to what extent alternative cinemas deconstruct normative conceptualisations of ageing. Drawing on recent critiques of post-feminist culture, and a range of feminist and age/ing studies scholarship, it suggests that a linear understanding of ageing and the generational underlies dominant depictions of oppositional binaries of young versus old, of generational segregation or rivalry, and the othering of age. It concludes that non-linear understandings of temporality and ageing contain the potential for New Queer Cinema to counteract such idealisations of youthfulness, which, it argues, is one of the most deep-rooted manifestations of (hetero)normativity

Sailing on seas of uncertainties: late style and Puccini’s struggle for self-renewal

The popularity of Puccini’s melodramatic operas, often derided by “serious” musicologists, has hindered a more rounded evaluation of his attempt at stylistic change. This paper offers a novel perspective of lifespan creative development in order to move the discussion of Puccini beyond the dichotomy of popular versus high-brow culture. Tracing the aspects of gradual stylistic change that began in The Girl from the Golden West (1910) through the three operas of Il Trittico: Il Tabarro, Suor Angelica, and Gianni Schicchi (1918–1919), the paper then focuses on Puccini’s last opera, Turandot (1926), as exemplifying a potential turn to a reflexive, philosophical style which is very different from the melodramatic, sentimentalist style generally associated with his work. In order to discuss this change as embodying a turn to late style, the paper identifies major stylistic shifts as well as underlying themes in the work of Puccini. Th paper concludes by discussing the case of Puccini as a novel contribution to the discussion of lateness in art, until now reserved to a selected few ‘“old Masters.

''Equally mixed'': artistic representations of old love

Abstract Michael Haneke's (2012) film Amour is used as a point of departure for discussing a spectrum of artistic representations of ''old love,'' a phenomenon that is still little understood. While most critics have focused on euthanasia when referring to the film's dramatic climax, its late-life perspective of love has been marginalized. Analyzing Amour, as well as other recent cinematic and poetic texts, we challenge the widespread midlife and ageist perception of ''April love,'' contrasting it with different views from within old love. Our reading of Amour illustrates the effects of intense, all-encompassing, and sealed intimacy in advanced old age and sheds light on potential consequences it may have on the decisions and lives of the people involved. We conclude by discussing how certain forms of love, seen from within, unfold in tandem with age or life phases that affect the pace, emotional, and interpersonal nature of the partnership. Keywords: aging in film, intergenerational relationships, long-term marriage, love in old age, marital relationships

Traumatic injury and traumatic stress

To review findings from recent research in consideration of relevant theoretical models between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and pain, and to review emerging interventions and prevention options for PTSD in individuals with whiplash.A traumatic accident may lead to whiplash injury, but can also frequently lead to post-traumatic stress. There is concern that this occurrence is more problematic than each disorder separately. Furthermore, it is unclear why this might occur. This review addresses two mechanisms that might explain this, specifically arousal and pain.There is a growing body of research revealing relationships between injury, pain and psychological trauma with important implications for the prevention and management of chronic pain and post-traumatic reactions. Intervention for PTSD in the context of whiplash has been shown to be effective, and seems to have a beneficial effect on the whiplash injury. The intervention for traumatic stress in acute whiplash presents further challenges.This chapter will review findings from recent research in consideration of relevant theoretical models between PTSD and pain in general and more specifically in the case of pain resulting from whiplash injury. A review of emerging interventions and prevention options for PTSD in individuals with whiplash will also be discussed to provide a basis for treatment of individuals and future research.Recent work in this area suggests that stress, pain and arousal interact through the effects of tissue injury and the distress in response to perceived threat. Post-traumatic stress plays an important role in a significant proportion of whiplash sufferers as its presence seems to deleteriously impact recovery.Intervention for PTSD in the context of whiplash has been shown to be effective, and seems to have a beneficial effect on the whiplash injury. The intervention for traumatic stress in acute whiplash presents further challenges