The Big Lebowski

The Big Lebowski Literary Elements

Director

Joel Coen

Leading Actors/Actresses

Jeff Bridges

Supporting Actors/Actresses

John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, Philip Seymour Hoffman

Genre

Comedy, Crime

Language

English

Awards

Date of Release

1998

Producer

Ethan Coen

Setting and Context

Los Angeles, 1998

Narrator and Point of View

POV is mostly that of the Dude; narrated by The Stranger

Tone and Mood

Comedic, stoner comedy, irreverent, dark

Protagonist and Antagonist

Protagonist: The Dude. Antagonists: Jeffrey Lebowski, the nihilists

Major Conflict

The Dude is mistaken for Jeffrey Lebowski, who owes money to a pornography magnate. Meanwhile, the Dude wants Lebowski to pay for his rug that was peed on by the guys that though he was the millionaire, and in the process gets caught up in an unpredictable sequence of events.

Climax

The climax occurs when Walter and Dude fight the nihilists.

Foreshadowing

The severed toe is foreshadowed when Bunny shows the Dude her toes on their first meeting.

Understatement

The Dude often understates his reactions to things, as he has an exceedingly chilled out and go-with-the-flow attitude.

Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques

Allusions

Allusions to different political persuasions throughout, allusions to the art world, allusions to the pornography industry.

Paradox

Lebowski never wanted to find Bunny in the first place, but he keeps up the impression that he does.

Parallelism

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