{"product_id":"the-stranger-from-omaha-travel-narratives-in-the-cinema-of-alexander-payne-hardback-9781477332573","title":"The Stranger from Omaha; Travel Narratives in the Cinema of Alexander Payne (Hardback) 9781477332573","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eThe Stranger from Omaha\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eTravel Narratives in the Cinema of Alexander Payne\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eJason Sperb (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9781477332573, University of Texas Press\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eHardback, published 14 October 2025\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e288 pages, 30 b\u0026amp;w photos\u003cbr\u003e22.9 x 15.2 x 1.5 cm, 0.454 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe first in-depth analysis of the films of Alexander Payne through the lenses of authorship, tourism, and leisure.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e With the films \u003ci\u003eElection\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAbout Schmidt\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSideways\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNebraska\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Holdovers\u003c\/i\u003e, Alexander Payne has carved out an unusual role in American cinema as a bankable auteur. There is something about Payne’s neurotics and searchers, his working stiffs and disillusioned idealists-something funny, moving, and filled with insight. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e Jason Sperb dissects Payne’s oeuvre, focusing on the director’s penchant for travel narratives. Payne’s films usually center on male protagonists discontent with the emotional and material realities of the day-to-day and seeking satisfaction in some literal or metaphorical elsewhere. But their attempts to escape wind up perpetuating, rather than alleviating, the imbalance between labor and leisure that structures modern life. In this sense, Sperb argues, Payne’s characters are akin to tourists, searching for fleeting glimpses of the fulfillment they dream about. Examining themes of masculinity, nostalgia, whiteness, and class, \u003ci\u003eThe Stranger from Omaha\u003c\/i\u003e is the first auteur study devoted to Payne’s delicately balanced cinematic world. An outsider even in his own heartland, Payne proves to be an artist working at a clarifying remove-a witness to the American condition, observing from just enough distance. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e List of Illustrations \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Introduction. The Stranger from Omaha \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e 1. Very Keen Powers of Observation: Landscapes \u0026amp;\u003cbr\u003e Wanderings (Setting) \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e 2. Not for Ourselves Alone: Voice(s) \u0026amp;\u003cbr\u003e Interpretation (Backstory) \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e 3. The Weak Died Along the Way: Ideology \u0026amp;\u003cbr\u003e White Masculinity (Status Quo) \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e 4. Takes the Pressure Right Off: Class \u0026amp;\u003cbr\u003e Labor (Catalyst) \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e 5. You Were Walking to Nebraska? Travel \u0026amp;\u003cbr\u003e Tourism (Journeys) \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e 6. The Day After Yesterday: Nostalgia \u0026amp;\u003cbr\u003e History (Crisis) \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e 7. Not Too Much Sadness . \u003cbr\u003e. \u003cbr\u003e. Because I Felt Alive: Catharsis \u0026amp;\u003cbr\u003e Grace (Resolution) \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Acknowledgements \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Notes \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Films of Alexander Payne \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Selected Bibliography \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Index \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"University of Texas Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52591021785368,"sku":"9781477332573","price":36.29,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/the-stranger-from-omaha-travel-narratives-in-the-cinema-of-alexander-payne-hardback-9781477332573","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}