Book review : Islands and captivity in popular culture : a critical study of film, television and literature

Abstract

Laura J. Getty’s book Islands and captivity in popular culture: A critical study of film, television and literature focuses on the theme of captivity, either as castaway or prisoner (physical and/or psychological) through two lenses: liminality and Internal/External Locus of Control theory. Islands are classic liminal spaces: they are limens or thresholds, on the edge between one thing and another, such as the interstice of land/water/air/the cosmos; the thin place between this world and the next. Islands are thus ideal sites of transformation. Often, this transformation involves going from thinking that nothing is ever one’s fault – an external Locus of Control – to believing in one’s ability to change things, taking charge of one’s destiny – an internal Locus of Control. It is generally believed that people are healthier, physically and psychologically, if they have some semblance of control over their lives. [excerpt]