Stories of twins are told with astonishing frequency in contemporary culture. Films and novels from recent decades repeatedly tell of the stranglehold of brotherly love, the evil twin who steals her sister's lover, the homicidal mutant twin, the reunion of twins separated at birth, warring twins, and confusion between look-alikes. Juliana de Nooy asks why we keep telling twin tales and how these have been transformed in recent retellings to reflect the preoccupations of the times.

About the Author(s)

Juliana De Nooy

Juliana de Nooy lectures in the contemporary studies program at the University of Queensland, Australia.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations * Acknowledgements * Introduction * Look Twice: Narrative Uses of Twins * Twins and the Couple: Surviving Sameness in Novels of Twin Lives * Twins and Sexual Rivalry: Recasting the Wicked Sister in Thriller Films; with B.Statham * Twins and the 'Crisis of Masculinity': Patterns in Body Horror Cinema; with B.Statham * Twins and the 'Gay Gene' Debate: When Queer Comic Fiction meets Behaviour Genetics * Twins and Nations: Tales of Cultural Divides * Twins as Doubtful Doubles: Postmodern Identity, Irony and Invention * Conclusion: Twins and Problems of Representation * Afterword * Notes * Bibliography * Filmography * Index