Friday, March 24, 2006

New Book about Aaron Sorkin and "West Wing"

There is a newly published book called "Mr Sorkin Goes to Washington " by Melissa Crawley discussing how the American presidency is presented on "The West Wing". This book is currently available on Amazon. It has not been reviewed yet.
The publisher says:
"Book Description
"Before the unprecedented televised presidential debates of 1960, most Americans were able to relate to their leaders in little more than an historical context. In the era of televised elections, however, the media have allowed Americans to witness the paternal, moral and intellectual qualities of their president up close. Television has been so critical to this process of political socialization that, for many Americans, the televised image of the president is the president.

As the acclaimed television drama The West Wing demonstrates, fictional representations of the presidency can also be significant civic forces. This book examines how film and television drama contribute to shaping the presidency and the way most Americans understand it, and particularly the processes of political education. The text discusses The West Wing’s didactic potential, its representation of White House politics, and its depiction of race and gender, with commentary on how fictional representations of the presidency become important elements of American political consciousness.

About the Author
Melissa Crawley is the Lingnan Foundation Teaching Scholar in Cultural Studies at Lingnan University, Hong Kong where she lectures in media and cultural studies."

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Another book called " The Prime-Time Presidency: The West Wing and U.S. Nationalism was released on March 13. It was written by Trevor Parry-Giles and Shawn J. Parry-Giles.

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