{"product_id":"the-stranger-from-omaha-jason-sperb-9781477332573","title":"The Stranger from Omaha: Travel Narratives in the Cinema of Alexander Payne","description":"\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\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\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\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Jason Sperb\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 147733257X\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781477332573\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Texas Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/14\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 288\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.00lbs","brand":"Jason Sperb","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":47001560416511,"sku":"9781477332573","price":55.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_0f9acfb7-95ee-446a-bab2-965039ab7d05.jpg?v=1751601441","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-stranger-from-omaha-jason-sperb-9781477332573","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}