ONLINE FIRST
published on December 4, 2021
Timothy Yenter

https://doi.org/10.5840/filmphil2021111813
Historical Knowledge as Self-Understanding in the Films of Whit Stillman
Whit Stillman¡¯s films depict characters attempting to gain relevant knowledge of their historical situation so that they can shape their lives. Through an analysis of scenes from each of Stillman¡¯s films, this essay demonstrates that historical knowledge is presented as a kind of self-understanding in the films. That historical knowledge is useful for gaining control over one¡¯s future as well as for properly evaluating one¡¯s life reveals a philosophically interesting approach to self-knowledge. Stillman¡¯s complex approach of layering contexts further suggests an elusive account of the self.