The Sopranos on the Couch: Analyzing Television's Greatest Series - Softcover

Yacowar, Maurice

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0826415423 ISBN 13: 9780826415424

Publisher: Continuum Intl Pub Group, 2003

Synopsis

If television programming is normally considered a wasteland, then The Sopranos may be thought of as a jungle: richly colored, teeming with life, dark with mystery. The Sopranos on the Couch is a must for all who are already caught up in the excitement, as well as for viewers who are coming to the show for the first time. Yacowar helps us understand exactly why we can't get enough of Tony Soprano and that colorful mafia family that we hate to love and often love to hate!This pop-culture sensation is not only the most controversial series on television, but also the most provocative, thoughtful, and complex. Its language and themes have stretched the norms of commercial television, many characters and phrases having entered our everyday life.The Sopranos on the Couch is the first book to provide a compact, lively, and authoritative examination of each episode and season - the themes, inside jokes, and allusions - thereby putting the series into a broader cultural context.

About this title

About the Author:

Maurice Yacowar is a retired professor of English and Film Studies at the University of Calgary. His earlier books include pioneering studies of Woody Allen, Mel Brooks, and Paul Morrisey. Yacowar lives in Calgary, Alberta.

Review:

"The Sopranos on the Couch: Analyzing Television's Greatest Series is a must-buy for every reader interested in contemporary American popular culture. In an age when much film criticism has become almost unreadable - or at least humorless - Maurice Yacowar proves that a sharp mind and a critical eye can produce engaging, provocative, thought-provoking critical analysis without the dead weight of academic jargon." - Peter Bondanella, author of Italian Cinema: From Neorealism to the Present

"Yacowar deals with all the questions and complaints and, like Dr. Melfi, gives us plenty to think about - not just regarding those important production values but also about how the series reflects popular culture....Give this to those who want some substance." - Booklist

"Yacowar is a respectful guide." - New York Times

"It's enough to make your head spin!...die-hard fans will surely want it for their collections." - Publishers Weekly

"Maurice Yacowar, who teaches film at the University of Calgary, has written an excellent overview of the series, as much an episode guide as a serious study....He celebrates the show as a great drama, and that helps us understand issues of faith and family....Yacowar's book will confirm your opinion that 'The Sopranos' is clever and compelling." - Toronto Globe and Mail

"Yacowar's perspective and perceptions are very sharp, and he does an excellent job at examining each of the episodes and analyzing how they build into one another...Readers will find Yacowar's prose captivating, as he analyzes characters and events with the keen eye of a man who knows film and how the great ones are made. With season five under way, this is a book hard-core fans shouldn't be without: Even though it might seem hard to believe, having Sopranos available as a reference guide will make the show even more of a joy to see and savor." -John Aiello, The Electric Review

About this edition

• Publisher: Continuum Intl Pub Group
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0826415423
• ISBN 13: 9780826415424
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256