Professors explore 007's cultural impact

Espionage. Sex. Violence. Martinis. \nTwo IU professors dive into the world of Britain's most famous spy in a new book released by IU Press this month. Fifteen essays about James Bond's cultural influence fill the pages of Professors Ed Comentale and Stephen Watt's new book, "Ian Fleming and James Bond: the Cultural Politics of 007." \n"I think anybody who deals with Fleming has to answer the question, why is his work worth studying? Does it have any enduring value?" said Watt, a professor of English and chair of the department. "It's important for students to understand how crucial the Cold War era is to contemporary culture."\nIU and Bond share an unlikely connection. The Lilly Library owns Fleming's personal library, and IU was the site of an academic conference in 2003 which discussed how Fleming and Bond have influenced the modern world. The conference marked the 50th anniversary of the publication of Fleming's first book, Casino Royale.\nIt was a call for papers for that conference that first got the attention of Watt's co-editor and assistant professor of English Comentale. \n"At first I only knew of the films of James Bond and I hadn't read anything," Comentale said. "I found myself sort of amazed at the way in which Fleming could encompass so many aspects of the 20th century, such as national cultures and international relations but also issues of economics, sexuality and race."\nThe Bond franchise has lasted more than 50 years and includes 14 Fleming novels and 20 films, not to mention countless imitations and spin-offs. Fleming's intermingling of nations, languages, ethnicities and exotic locations has enchanted millions of fans all over the world, including IU visiting professor Vivian Halloran. Halloran, of the comparative literature department, contributed a chapter to the book about Fleming's use of tropical locales and peoples. \n"I had mostly seen the films. I'm from Puerto Rico myself, (and) I was always interested in the fact that they had Carribean settings," Halloran said. \nFleming's characters are often ethnically diverse, and the villains almost always belong to a cultural heritage different than Bond's. Even Bond, who has become a national icon for many British, had mixed parentage: He grew up in Switzerland with his Swiss mother.\n"In some ways it speaks to the broadness of the British empire, these novels of course being written as the empire is receding," Halloran said. \nMuch of Fleming's novels deal with the changing empire and world stage after World War II, in which the United States and Russia were rapidly becoming the most important players. \n"It's about 100 years after (the British) had abolished slavery. The Caribbean Islands only got their independence in the '80s, so (they were) the last bastions of the British Empire," Halloran said. "For Fleming to choose smaller islands (in) the Caribbean, I thought that was an interesting paradigm there." \nWatt teaches Fleming's novel "From Russia with Love" in one of his courses, and he and Comentale each contributed a chapter to the book. Familiarity with Bond's cultural influence helps students understand today's geopolitical relations, Watt said. His chapter, "007 and 9/11, Specters and Structures of Feeling," explores what we can learn about terrorism from Fleming's novels. Even former President John F. Kennedy took Fleming's work about international matters into consideration, Watt said. \n"John Kennedy had dinner with Fleming and tried to get him to give advice (about Cuban leader Fidel) Castro," he said. "The Bond character and franchise have proved very flexible. They've been made to shift with changing times." \nComentale said he attributes Bond's popularity to the flexibility and internationalism of the character, who encounters people of all ethnicities, sexual orientation and backgrounds in his adventures. \n"James Bond is a really versatile character and he means a lot of different things to a lot of different groups and people. In many ways he's a cipher, he's a kind of mystery in a sense," Comentale said. "A lot of different people sort of read their hopes and fears into him."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Colleen \nCorley at ccorley@indiana.edu.