Cavell, Stanley. Pursuits of Happiness: The Hollywood Comedy of Remarriage. Harvard University Press, 1981.
In Pursuits of Happiness, Stanley Cavell (1926-2018), a Harvard professor of philosophy, provides a close and insightful analysis of some of the best romantic comedies of the 1930s and ‘40s. The films include It Happened One Night, The Awful Truth, Bringing Up Baby, The Lady Eve, Adam’s Rib, The Philadelphia Story, and His Girl Friday. They are all what he calls comedies of remarriage in which couples learn what it takes to reestablish their intimacy. He argues that they are a blend of two types of romantic comedy found in Shakespeare—especially the ones in which the heroine is either disguised or must undergo a symbolic death and resurrection. Often, both lovers must discover and admit their weaknesses to accept the other’s strength and offer of intimacy. I found his analysis of Adam’s Rib and Bringing Up Baby especially enlightening.
Writing in 1981, Cavell seems concerned that philosophical analysis of these works of popular culture will not be taken seriously, and in his last chapter, he offers a defense of university-level film study. If he had written the book a few years later, I doubt he would have had such qualms, even at Harvard. I wish he were still around to do a new edition. I would like to know how his treatment of gender performance in these films might have changed and how the easy availability of downloadable media would have altered his analysis, if at all. I think he might have put less emphasis on film as a communal experience, since so much of it is now consumed in private. His use of the term “screenings” now seems quaint. The book is a classic. 5 stars. ( )