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Cult Television
A television series is tagged with the label "cult" by the media, advertisers, and network executives when it is considered edgy or offbeat, when it appeals to nostalgia, or when it is considered emblematic of a particular subculture. By these criteria, almost any series could be described as cult. Yet certain programs exert an uncanny power over their fans, encouraging them to immerse themselves within a fictional world. In Cult Television leading scholars examine such shows as The X-Files; The Avengers; Doctor Who, Babylon Five; Star Trek; Xena, Warrior Princess; and Buffy the Vampire Slayer to determine the defining characteristics of cult television and map the contours of this phenomenon within the larger scope of popular culture. Karen Backstein; David A. Black, Seton Hall U; Mary Hammond, Open U; Nathan Hunt, U of Nottingham; Mark Jancovich; Petra Kuppers, Bryant College; Philippe Le Guern, U of Angers, France; Alan McKee; Toby Miller, New York U; Jeffrey Sconce, Northwestern U; Eva Vieth Sara Gwenllian-Jones is a lecturer in television and digital media at Cardiff University and co-editor of The Journal of Cult Media. Roberta E. Pearson is a reader in media and cultural studies at Cardiff University. She is the author of the forthcoming book Small Screen, Big Star Trek and Television.
- GenresNonfiction
264 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 4, 2013
Why did they bother writing it? I assumed I would learn something about HOW cult followings are developed.
Instead, you're in for nine boring essays, each by a different author. There's no point. Here's a random paragraph (don't believe me, buy it and flip to a random page yourself) so that you've got an idea of the waste of time you're in for:
> This essay closes, however, by noting a blind spot that future works on cult media would do well to examine in greater depth. Is it possible to establish links between social milieus and cultural worlds
So many words, without saying anything. The entire "book" is like this. It's writing is exactly what Orwell advises us to do in his essay "Politics and the English Language".
The only "review" on Amazon gives the book 3-stars, and even that looks like the reviewer was a friend being generous.
Cult Followings. Cult Leaders. Cult Television. Cult Products. This is a fascinating subject. Lessons learned could be put to profitable use. Yet, no such lessons are to be learned here.
Trust me, skip this one.
Instead, you're in for nine boring essays, each by a different author. There's no point. Here's a random paragraph (don't believe me, buy it and flip to a random page yourself) so that you've got an idea of the waste of time you're in for:
> This essay closes, however, by noting a blind spot that future works on cult media would do well to examine in greater depth. Is it possible to establish links between social milieus and cultural worlds
So many words, without saying anything. The entire "book" is like this. It's writing is exactly what Orwell advises us to do in his essay "Politics and the English Language".
The only "review" on Amazon gives the book 3-stars, and even that looks like the reviewer was a friend being generous.
Cult Followings. Cult Leaders. Cult Television. Cult Products. This is a fascinating subject. Lessons learned could be put to profitable use. Yet, no such lessons are to be learned here.
Trust me, skip this one.
Displaying 1 of 1 review