A Sense of Community: Essays on the Television Series and Its Fandom

by Ann-Gee Lee (Editor)

Television's Community follows the shenanigans of a diverse group of traditional and nontraditional community college Jeff Winger, a former lawyer; Britta Perry, a feminist; Abed Nadir, a pop culture enthusiast; Shirley Bennett, a mother; Troy Barnes, a former jock; Annie Edison, a naive overachiever; and Pierce Hawthorne, an old-fashioned elderly man. There are also Benjamin Chang, the maniacal Spanish teacher, and Craig Pelton, the eccentric dean of Greendale Community College, along with well-known guest stars who play troublemaking students, nutty professors and frightening administrators. This collection of fresh essays familiarizes readers not only with particular characters and popular episodes, but behind-the-scenes aspects such as screenwriting and production techniques. The essayists explore narrative theme, hyperreality, masculinity, feminism, color blindness, civic discourse, pastiche, intertextuality, media consciousness, how Community is influenced by other shows and films, and how fans have contributed to the show.

240 pages, Paperback

First published May 14, 2014

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book more. I love Community and I think that it has depth that's rewarding to explore. Two highlights from this collection of essays that were worth my time and will enrich future viewings of the show were "'That's So Meta!': Allusions for the Media-Literate Audience in Community (and Beyond)" and "Community's Communities: Bringing the Fan to the (Study) Table." However, some of the writers seemed to have no sense of self-awareness about the fact that they were writing critical essays about a show that has lampooned scholarly criticism of TV shows.

A Sense of Community was published before seasons 5 and 6 came out, which is unfortunate because the return to form with creator Dan Harmon back at the helm, as well as the even wackier turn that these seasons took, would make for interesting analysis. In some of these essays, season 4 is taken into consideration on par with preceding seasons, which might ring a little dissonant to some. However, discerning readers may detect a subtle dig or two (and one not so subtle) at the "gas leak year." :-)

[Colin Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Sense of Community: Essays on the Television Series and Its Fandom is one of the few, if not the only, comprehensive academic study of the cult television show, Community. On the whole, this anthology is something of a mixed bag. Many of the essays are thought-provoking and insightful, but those that are not are, frankly, unreadable. This is a shame because Mina Halling's essay on narrative structure best expresses the one consistent idea that runs through A Sense of Community. Of the episode "Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking, "she writes, "The episode deconstructs the narrative and thematic advantages inherent to [the] documentary format by first reinforcing the utility of the reality claim by using talking heads, then downgrading the importance of the reality claim by pointing out the control Abed retains over the proceedings as editor. Thus, the episode uses its unique structure to comment on structure itself." This point about Community deploying and critiquing particular narrative structures and forms assists in thinking about the show as more than a flimsy spoof or satire. It speaks to the level of engagement a show like Community has with narrative and genre, and it's an idea that carries throughout the anthology.

Perhaps the best piece in the anthology is Ann-Gee Lee and Noah E. Schmidt's essay on Ben Chang as a trickster figure. They argue, "As Greendale's most notorious trickster, Chang serves as the impetus for the study group, yet he belongs nowhere and is constantly trying to find a place for himself. The one consistent trait he carries is his deceptive nature." Lee and Schmidt continue, "Chang is unable to settle anywhere--he is rootless, homeless, friendless." Because A Sense of Community was published before Seasons 4, 5, and 6, their essay understandably fails to address Chang's evolution in those seasons. With that said, using the trickster archetype as a frame for understanding Chang not only renders Chang a far more sympathetic figure but it also predicts a point Abed makes near the end of Season 4 when he defines Chang as "the reason we all went to Greendale. You linked all of our stories." Like tricksters from the Native American and African American traditions, Chang creates this world (by bringing the study group together) while simultaneously antagonizing and compromising it (which we see throughout the show's first four seasons). Defining Chang as a trickster also explains some of his more annoying, hostile, and deceptive moments by contextualizing those moments within a broader literary tradition.

While some of the essays in A Sense of Community are underwhelming, what is clear is the amount of affection each writer has for a show that has left an indelible mark on television history.