Youth Fantasies: The Perverse Landscape of the Media

This is a collection of studies conducted in cross-cultural collaboration over the course of ten years that theorizes "youth fantasy" as manifested through the media of TV, film and computer games.

The authors employ both Lacanian and Kleinian psychoanalytic concepts to attempt to make sense of teen culture and the influence of mass media.

The collection includes case studies of "X-Files" fans, the influence of computer games and the "Lara Croft" phenomenon, and the reception of Western television by Tanzanian youth.

The authors see this book as a much-needed reconciliation between cultural studies and Lacanian psychoanalysis, and attempt to highlight why Lacan is important to note when exploring youth fantasy and interest in the media, especially in shows like "X-Files".