Filmmaker David Lynchs work is viewed here as patriotic and Puritanical. This Lynch is an idealistic conservative on a reformers mission. Lynch promotes a return to the values inherent in a mythological America, but heindulges in a voyeuristic pleasure which he simultaneously condemns. Like Jeffrey peeking through the slats of Dorothys closet in Blue Velvet, the viewer of Lynchs work is a rationalist plagued by his dreams; intrigued and repulsed, fascinated and judgmental, he both craves and resists cultural assimilation. ...
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Filmmaker David Lynchs work is viewed here as patriotic and Puritanical. This Lynch is an idealistic conservative on a reformers mission. Lynch promotes a return to the values inherent in a mythological America, but heindulges in a voyeuristic pleasure which he simultaneously condemns. Like Jeffrey peeking through the slats of Dorothys closet in Blue Velvet, the viewer of Lynchs work is a rationalist plagued by his dreams; intrigued and repulsed, fascinated and judgmental, he both craves and resists cultural assimilation. Works presented include all features from Eraserhead to Mulholland Drive, shorts such as The Amputee and The Grandmother, and contributions to television such as Hotel Room and, of course, Twin Peaks. This study develops an idea of Lynchs politics, analyzes his work, and explores Lynchs paradox of condemning an immoral world through disturbing images and concepts, and touches on such points as the identifiable figureof evil in his works as well as the archetypes of the nymphet, well-meaning traditionalist, and struggling ethicist. Also included are a history of moralistic criticism in American literature and a review of existing Lynch criticism within this context.
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