Jaws: Creating the Myth of the Man-Eating Machine

Abstract: Jaws(Universal Studios, 1975) set a new standard for Hollywood film production byintroducing the concept of “summer blockbuster,” for a film that changed the way inwhich people thought about sharks. 37 years after the release of the movie, the idea of sharks as ferocious man-hunters still looms large in public opinion. Thisconceptualization of sharks as ruthless killers is mythical rather than factual, and thisresearch tracks the mechanisms that propelled the idea deep into popular culture.The dissertation addresses the problematics of media constructions through a casestudy of the movie Jawsdeparting from its production process, and by applyingBarbara Klinger’s interpretation of “epiphenomena.” The thesis studies how cinematravels into popular culture, by following the traces of the movie into other media, andits dialogue with the surrounding texts generated by PR, marketing andmerchandising; simultaneously, the thesis seek to demonstrate the connection between the movie as mythmaker and the stigmatized portrayal of sharks.