The West Wing
The American Presidency as Television Drama

Cloth $45.00L   |   ISBN 0-8156-3026-3    |   2003

Paper $19.95s   |   ISBN 0-8156-3031-X   |   2003

Informed by historical scholarship and media analysis, this book takes a critical look at this award-winning show from a wide range of perspectives.

Reviews
"The journalists’ critical examinations in the book’s final section are excellent. Rollins and O’Connor provide a useful introduction."
—Choice

"The West Wing: The American Presidency as Television Drama is a collection of 15 essays that take an informed, analytical and critical look at the series from a variety of points of view. I’ve criticized similar books about Buffy the Vampire Slayer for narrowness of critical response, and editors Peter C. Rollins and John E. O’Connor are to be commended for avoiding that trap. They've found room both for the series’ most ardent fans and its harshest critics, and this book’s great value is that it neither glosses over nor savages the program. If a series is important enough for a book like this to be written about it, that series should be able to stand up to great scrutiny. West Wing does, and most of the essays are insightful and persuasive."
—Ink19.com

Description
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 criticized 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.

6 x 9, 272 pages, works cited, index

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