The Cinematic South: A Look into the South According to Quentin Tarantino

This thesis examines the eight films directed by Quentin Tarantino. More specifically, it examines how Tarantino portrays the American South, southernness, and southerners throughout his filmography. I watched each film countless times, read each screenplay, and read many articles written about the films. I also read many biographies, and I watched many interviews with Quentin Tarantino. In this work, I find that Tarantino exploits the South in order to create much more despicable characters, which furthers the stereotype that the South is in some way lesser to the rest of the United States. The South according to Quentin Tarantino is perverted, grim, racist, misogynistic, and all around despicable. This work explores each of those elements and how they are used in the films and the dialogue they add to national discussions of the American South