Dreams in American Television Narratives - From Dallas to Buffy

Zusatztext Dreams in American Television Narratives: From Dallas to Buffy is a pioneering study of a cutting-edge topic. This book offers an engaging examination of ‘television dreaming’ in American-produced TV drama, showing how dreams function not only to deepen and extend TV drama stories, but also as vehicles for the psychological probing of television’s most intriguing characters. Focusing on TV dramas of the last three decades – from the 1990s ‘quality’ era to the most audacious examples of ‘complexity’ from recent years – this study demonstrates that the increased prevalence and significance of dreams in American TV drama owe much to the multi-layered, serialised modes of storytelling that increasingly define this once formulaic and episodic programme category. Informationen zum Autor Cynthia Burkhead, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of English at the University of North Alabama, US. She is the author of the Student Companion to John Steinbeck and the coeditor of Joss Whedon: Conversations and Grace Under Pressure: Grey's Anatomy Uncovered. Klappentext Dreams in Television Narratives is the first comprehensive analysis of one of American television's most frequently utilized tropes! the dream. From its beginning! television has been a storytelling medium. Whether delivered to a live audience or played out on a sound stage! narratives and those who write them have always been the crux of the television program. While film can claim a long history of scholarly inquiry into the connection between film and dreams! no comprehensive research exists on the subject of television dreams. Locating its primary function as narrative! the author uses examples from American sitcoms and dramatic programs! analyzing the narrative functions of dreams using! as its frame! Carl Jung's narrative stages of the dream: exposition! development! culmination! and conclusion. While television dreams are analyzed throughout! case studies of the television programs The Sopranos and Buffy the Vampire Slayer are included to show in detail how dreams function throughout a television series. Includes a compendium of over 1000 television episodes that include dreams! a valuable tool for any television scholar or enthusiast. Vorwort First ever extensive examination of the multiple functions of dreams in television stories. Zusammenfassung Dreams in Television Narratives is the first comprehensive analysis of one of American television's most frequently utilized tropes, the dream. From its beginning, television has been a storytelling medium. Whether delivered to a live audience or played out on a sound stage, narratives and those who write them have always been the crux of the television program. While film can claim a long history of scholarly inquiry into the connection between film and dreams, no comprehensive research exists on the subject of television dreams. Locating its primary function as narrative, the author uses examples from American sitcoms and dramatic programs, analyzing the narrative functions of dreams using, as its frame, Carl Jung's narrative stages of the dream: exposition, development, culmination, and conclusion. While television dreams are analyzed throughout, case studies of the television programs The Sopranos and Buffy the Vampire Slayer are included to show in detail how dreams function throughout a television series. Includes a compendium of over 1000 television episodes that include dreams, a valuable tool for any television scholar or enthusiast. Inhaltsverzeichnis IntroductionFilms and DreamsFilm DreamsFilming DreamsDreaming FilmsTelevision and DreamsChapter I: Dreams that Begin NarrativesChapter II: Dreams that Develop Narratives Case Study: The Sopranos Chapter III: Dreams that Culminate NarrativesCase Study: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Chapter IV: Dreams that end NarrativesChapter ...

About the author

Cynthia Burkhead, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of English at the University of North Alabama, US. She is the author of the Student Companion to John Steinbeck and the coeditor of Joss Whedon: Conversations and Grace Under Pressure: Grey's Anatomy Uncovered.

CYNTHIA BURKHEAD is an Instructor of English at the University of North Alabama in Florence. Her major areas of literary interest is twentieth century poetry and fiction.

Product details

• Authors: Cynthia Burkhead
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 18.07.2013
• EAN: 9781441198105
• ISBN: 978-1-4411-9810-5
• No. of pages: 184
• Subject: Humanities, art, music > Art > Photography, film, video, TV