The Lexicons of Cult Film: Rhetoric, Media, and The Big Lebowski

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/cinej.2025.659

Keywords:

rhetoric, The Big Lebowski, Kenneth Burke, fan studies, cult film, Hollywood

Abstract

In this paper, we explore how The Big Lebowski provides “equipment for living,” to explain the Lebowski phenomenon and answer the question: How do individuals use The Big Lebowski to communicate across cultures? In answer to this question, we argue that the shared lexicon of the cult film serves as a diagnostic tool, which fans use to identify each other, size up their situation, and determine a course of action. In one sense, the film is both a representative anecdote and an unrepresentative anecdote, which draws viewers into a comic frame and allows them to see new ways of thinking and acting in an otherwise typical situation. Ultimately, the co-opting of the film’s ethos and lexicon by fans “individualizes” popular culture, subverting film (a big-budget medium historically dominated by the auteur-director model) and positioning fans as both artistic consumers and creators.

Author Biographies

Andrew C Jones, Davis & Elkins College

Andrew C. Jones is Chair of the Humanities Division, Associate Professor of Communication at Davis & Elkins College, and Affiliate Assistant Professor at LCC International University. He holds a PhD from Louisiana State University A&M, USA. And a PhD in Memetics from Abide University. His research areas include rhetoric and detective fiction, political communication, and presidential address in Eastern Europe.

Sebastian Williams, Davis & Elkins College

Sebastian Williams is Assistant Professor of English at Davis & Elkins College. He holds a PhD from Purdue University, and his work has appeared in the Journal of Popular Culture, ISLE, and Mosaic, among other publications.

Lonnie Martin, Davis & Elkins College

Lonnie Martin is Instructor of Theatre and Film at Davis & Elkins college and holds an MFA from American University. He is an award-wining filmmaker whose work has been recognized by the Austin Film Festival, Fantasia International Film Festival, and Temecula Valley Film Festival, among others.

References

The Achievers. (2008). Dir. Eddie Chung. Universal Studios.

The Big Lebowski. (1998). Dir. Joel Coen. Perf. Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, David Huddleston, and John Tuturro. Universal Studios.

Burke, K. (1961). Attitudes toward history (2nd ed.). Beacon Press. (Original work published 1937)

Burke, K. (1964). Permanence and change: An anatomy of purpose (2nd ed.). Hermes Publications. (Original work published 1935)

Burke, K. (1969). A grammar of motives. University of California Press. (Original work published 1945)

Burke, K. (1997). The philosophy of literary form: Studies in symbolic action (3rd ed.). University of California Press. (Original work published 1941)

De Certeau, M. (1984). The practice of everyday life (S. Rendall, trans.). University of California Press. (Original work published 1980)

Dill, E., & Janke, K. (2013). “New shit has come to light”: Information seeking behavior in The Big Lebowski. Journal of Popular Culture, 46(1), 772-88.

Eco, U. (1985). Casablanca: Cult movies and intertextual collage. Substance, 14(2), 3-12.

Falvey, E. (2021). “He’s dead?” … “Not anymore!” The cult legacies of Re-Animator. In Re-Animator (pp. 79-98). Liverpool University Press

Fandom. (n.d.) The Big Lebowski wiki. https://thebiglebowski.fandom.com/wiki/The_Big_Lebowski_Wiki

IMBD. (2012, April). The Big Lebowski. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118715/

Jaeckle, J. (2014). The comforts and pleasures of repetitive dialogue in The Big Lebowski. In Zachary Ingle (Ed.), Fan Phenomena: The Big

Lebowski (pp. 8-17). Intellect Books/University of Chicago.

Klinger, B. (2010). Becoming cult: The Big Lebowski, replay culture, and male fans. Screen, 51(1), 1-20.

Lenin, V. I. (1961) Who stands to gain? (G. Hanna, trans.). In Lenin: Collected works (pp. 53-54). Progress. (Original work published 1913)

Nieland, J. (2009). Dudespeak: Or, how to bowl like a pornstar. In E. Commentale & A. Jaffe (Eds.), The year’s work in Lebowski studies (pp. 74-97). Indiana University Press.

Reddit. (n.d.). What do so many people find enjoyable in The Big Lebowski? https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/f5hvt/what_do_so_many_people_find_enjoyable_in_the_big

Ross, A. (1998, March 8). Bogus nights: The immorality of indie film. Slate. https://slate.com/culture/1998/03/bogus-nights.html

Stern, R., & Wilkinson, S. (2012). “That’s just like, uh, your opinion man”: Jesus, the Dude, and ordinary language philosophy. In Peter S.

Fosl (Ed.), The Big Lebowski and philosophy: Keeping your mind limber with abiding wisdom (pp. 237-47). Wiley and Sons.

Stone, D. (1998, March 9). The Coens speak (reluctantly). IndieWire. https://www.indiewire.com/1998/03/the-coens-speak-reluctantly-83037/

Young, S. D. (2000). Movies as equipment for living: A developmental analysis of the importance of film in everyday life. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 17(4), 447–468. https://doi.org/10.1080/15295030009388413

Downloads

Published

2025-05-27

How to Cite

Jones, A. C., Williams, S., & Martin, L. (2025). The Lexicons of Cult Film: Rhetoric, Media, and The Big Lebowski. CINEJ Cinema Journal, 13(1), 101–126. https://doi.org/10.5195/cinej.2025.659

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 1 (2025): Winter

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Andrew C Jones, Sebastian Williams, Lonnie Martin

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. The Author retains copyright in the Work, where the term “Work” shall include all digital objects that may result in subsequent electronic publication or distribution.
  2. Upon acceptance of the Work, the author shall grant to the Publisher the right of first publication of the Work.
  3. The Author shall grant to the Publisher and its agents the nonexclusive perpetual right and license to publish, archive, and make accessible the Work in whole or in part in all forms of media now or hereafter known under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License or its equivalent, which, for the avoidance of doubt, allows others to copy, distribute, and transmit the Work under the following conditions:
    1. Attribution—other users must attribute the Work in the manner specified by the author as indicated on the journal Web site;
    with the understanding that the above condition can be waived with permission from the Author and that where the Work or any of its elements is in the public domain under applicable law, that status is in no way affected by the license.
  4. The Author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the nonexclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the Work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), as long as there is provided in the document an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  5. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post online a prepublication manuscript (but not the Publisher’s final formatted PDF version of the Work) in institutional repositories or on their Websites prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. Any such posting made before acceptance and publication of the Work shall be updated upon publication to include a reference to the Publisher-assigned DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and a link to the online abstract for the final published Work in the Journal.
  6. Upon Publisher’s request, the Author agrees to furnish promptly to Publisher, at the Author’s own expense, written evidence of the permissions, licenses, and consents for use of third-party material included within the Work, except as determined by Publisher to be covered by the principles of Fair Use.
  7. The Author represents and warrants that:
    1. the Work is the Author’s original work;
    2. the Author has not transferred, and will not transfer, exclusive rights in the Work to any third party;
    3. the Work is not pending review or under consideration by another publisher;
    4. the Work has not previously been published;
    5. the Work contains no misrepresentation or infringement of the Work or property of other authors or third parties; and
    6. the Work contains no libel, invasion of privacy, or other unlawful matter.
  8. The Author agrees to indemnify and hold Publisher harmless from Author’s breach of the representations and warranties contained in Paragraph 6 above, as well as any claim or proceeding relating to Publisher’s use and publication of any content contained in the Work, including third-party content.

Revised 7/16/2018. Revision Description: Removed outdated link.