In "Watching TV with a Linguist," Fagersten challenges the conventional view of television as lowbrow entertainment devoid of intellectual activity. Rather, she champions the use of fictional television to learn about linguistics and at the same time promotes enriched television viewing experiences by explaining the role of language in creating humor, conveying drama, and developing identifiable characters. The essays gathered in this volume explore specific areas of linguistics, providing a comprehensive yet accessible introduction to the study of language. Through programs such as...

Since 1940, Captain America has battled his enemies in the name of American values, and as those values have changed over time, so has Captain America s character. Because the comic book world fosters a close fan creator dialogue, creators must consider their ever-changing readership. Comic book artists must carefully balance storyline continuity with cultural relevance. Captain America s seventy-year existence spans from World War II through the Cold War to the American War on Terror; beginning as a soldier unopposed to offensive attacks against foreign threats, he later becomes known as...

First published in 1880, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ became a best-seller. The
popular novel spawned an 1899 stage adaptation, reaching audiences of over
10 million, and two highly successful film adaptations. For over a century, it has
become a ubiquitous pop cultural presence, representing a deeply powerful story
and monumental experience for some and a defining work of bad taste and false
piety for others. The first and only collection of essays on this pivotal cultural icon,
Bigger Than "Ben-Hur" addresses Lew Wallace's beloved classic to explore its
polarizing...

First published in 1880, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ became a best-seller. The
popular novel spawned an 1899 stage adaptation, reaching audiences of over
10 million, and two highly successful film adaptations. For over a century, it has
become a ubiquitous pop cultural presence, representing a deeply powerful story
and monumental experience for some and a defining work of bad taste and false
piety for others. The first and only collection of essays on this pivotal cultural icon,
Bigger Than "Ben-Hur" addresses Lew Wallace's beloved classic to explore its
polarizing...

Castleman and Podrazik present a sweeping season-by-season story, capturing the essence of television from its inception to the contemporary era of anytime access and online streaming, including every prime time fall schedule since 1944. The authors have dug through the mounds of obscure facts, offbeat anecdotes, and corporate strategies that have made television a multibillion-dollar industry. Watching TV provides a fascinating history of how the personalities, popular shows, and coverage of key events have evolved across eight decades.
Full of facts, firsts, insights, and exploits, as...

Aspiring writers often ask how they can break into the television writing business. Meyers believes that the answer can be found by asking why people become television writers and what makes them successful. Inside the TV Writer s Room reveals these insights and much more. This volume, a collection of interviews with some of today s top episodic writers arranged in a roundtable format, explores the artists drive to express how the writers honed their creativity, and what compromises they have made to pursue their craft both before and after finding success. Each chapter s topic is...