Since our blog debuted in 2017, we have published 500+ posts. While some of you may have been with us from the start (thank you, loyal readers!), others may have joined us more recently.
So, we’re highlighting periodically some of the posts that have garnered a lot of views or that address topics of continuing interest in the current moment — posts that you may have missed or that you might want to revisit.
Today, as the 2023-2024 academic year comes to a close, we feature a post published in December 2023 and written by one of our graduate students for ENGL 801 “Graduate Studies in English” — a post which has become our most popular, receiving the highest number of views to date (13,000+ and counting): “Resting in Peace: Why Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Keeps Sharon Tate Away from the Action“ by Mike McCoy (MA ’25).
In his analysis of Tarantino’s 2019 film, Mike asks,
So, what makes Tate’s story different from Basterds and Django? Why doesn’t Tate take back her power and slaughter the evil cult members who murdered her in real life?
I argue that critics who ask these questions miss the film’s point. […] The film purposely separates Tate from the Manson Family’s violence, letting the story’s fictional characters carry out the revenge. Although Tarantino distances Tate from the film’s action, Hollywood honors the actress by giving her life story the happy ending it deserves. The film’s “What-if?” narrative emphasizes Tate’s right to peace—and that’s a story worth telling.
Read more at “Resting in Peace: Why Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Keeps Sharon Tate Away from the Action” — and our thanks to Mike for this contribution!
— Karin Westman, Department Head
K-State English 