Thanks to Henry Jenkins for posting, as I was going to recommend his book
"What Made Pistachio Nuts"!
I also think that spectacle is by nature "excessive" and that excess of
costume, action, special effects, etc. designed to dazzle and overwhelm --
and impress -- align it to the old notion of "spectacle" in the Roman
sense: look at this, be amazed, and worship me!!
Gael McGear Sweeney
Syracuse University
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