The West Wing

by Rollins, Peter C.

• ISBN13: 9780815630319
• ISBN10: 081563031X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-05-01
• Publisher: Syracuse Univ Pr

Summary

Informed by historical scholarship and media analysis, is book takes a critical look at this award-winning show from a wide range of perspectives. Eminent scholars Peter C. Rollins and John O'Connor make an important contribution to the field with an eclectic mix of essays, which translate visual language into on-screen politics. While the series may be critized as "idealistic, " its clever techniques of camera work, lighting, editing, and mise en scene reflect America's best image of itself, and entertains a loyal audience that desperately wants to believe in the nobility of the American dream. This collection introduces readers to the sensibilities to appreciate the show's nuances and the necessary knowledge to avoid any misreadings. It will be of interest to students of politics, popular culture, fans and critics alike.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Contributors	xi
Introduction	1	(16)
John E. O'Connor
Peter C. Rollins
Focusing on Issues
The West Wing: White House Narratives That Journalism Cannot Tell	17	(15)
Donnalyn Pompper
The White House Culture of Gender and Race in The West Wing: Insights from the Margins	32	(10)
Christina Lane
The West Wing (NBC) and The West Wing (D.C.): Myth and Reality in Television's Portrayal of the White House	42	(21)
Myron A. Levine
The King's Two Bodies: Identity and Office in Sorkin's West Wing	63	(20)
Heather Richardson Hayton
Language and Structure in The West Wing
Dialogue, Deliberation, and Discourse: The Far-Reaching Politics of The West Wing	83	(18)
Samuel A. Chambers
The West Wing's Textual President: American Constitutional Stability and the New Public Intellectual in the Age of Information	101	(24)
Patrick Finn
The Left Takes Back the Flag: The Steadicam, the Snippet, and the Song in The West Wing's ``In Excelsis Deo''	125	(11)
Greg M. Smith
From The American President to The West Wing: A Scriptwriter's Perspective	136	(23)
Jason P. Vest
Perceptions of The West Wing
The Sincere Sorkin White House, or, The Importance of Seeming Earnest	159	(16)
Pamela Ezell
The West Wing as a Pedagogical Tool: Using Drama to Examine American Politics and Media Perceptions of Our Political System	175	(12)
Staci Beavers
Victorian Parliamentary Novels, The West Wing, and Professionalism	187	(16)
Michelle Mouton
Critical Responses: West Wing Press Reviews
Inside The West Wing's New World	203	(10)
Sharon Waxman
The Feel-Good Presidency: The Pseudo-Politics of The West Wing	213	(9)
Chris Lehmann
The Liberal Imagination	222	(13)
Jon Podhoretz
Bibliographical Overview
The Transformed Presidency: People and Power in the Real West Wing	235	(26)
Myron A. Levine
Works Cited	261	(16)
Index	277