The Essential Sopranos Reader - Essential Readers in Contemporary Media and Culture

Commendation Quotes:""The Essential Sopranos Reader shines on many levels, and should crossover to a broad readership. The overall quality and scope, style and depth of this volume will further enhance the disctinction of the Essential Readers in Contemporary Media and Culture Studies at the University Press of Kentucky."--George Plasketes, author of B-Sides, Undercurrents and Overtones: Peripheries to Popular Music, 1960 to the Present" -- George PlasketesReview Quotes:"" "The Essential Sopranos Reader "shines on many levels, and should crossover to a broad readership. The overall quality and scope, style and depth of this volume will further enhance the disctinction of the Essential Readers in Contemporary Media and Culture Studies at the University Press of Kentucky." -- George Plasketes, author of "B-Sides, Undercurrents and Overtones: Peripheries to Popular Music, 1960 to the Present"" --Biographical Note: David Lavery, professor of English at Middle Tennessee State University, is the editor of "The Essential Cult TV Reader." He lives in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Douglas L. Howard, assistant academic chair and associate professor in the English Department at Suffolk County Community College, is the editor of Dexter: "Investigating Cutting Edge Television." He lives in Plainview, New York. Paul Levinson, professor of communication and media studies at Fordham University, is the award-winning author of several science fiction novels as well as books on new media. He lives in White Plains, New York. Review Quotes:""The Essential Sopranos Reader shines on many levels, and should crossover to a broad readership. The overall quality and scope, style and depth of this volume will further enhance the disctinction of the Essential Readers in Contemporary Media and Culture Studies at the University Press of Kentucky." -- George Plasketes, author of B-Sides, Undercurrents and Overtones: Peripheries to Popular Music, 1960 to the Present" --Review Quotes:""'The Essential Sopranos Reader' explores the series' themes, its legacy, its unforgettable characters and how its writers and producers handled some of the most controversial subject metter ever seen on American TV."-- "Farmville Herald"" --Review Quotes:""The collection bows out with an entertaining and sometimes insightful excerptfrom an interview with Sopranos actor Dominic Chianese (Uncle Junior), whichLevinson and Lavery moderated, and a list of the cast and their respective roles on theseries, an episode guide, and an extensive catalogue of the sixth season's intertextualreferences and allusions"-- "Historical Journal of Film, Radio, and Television"" --Review Quotes:""This is the first major academic exploration of the series, and it is must reading for both fans and scholars of 'The Sopranos.'" --King Features Syndicate" --Marc Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [363]-375) and index. Publisher Marketing: The Sopranos is recognized as the most successful cable series in the history of television. The Washington Post has called the popular series, winner of twenty-one Emmys and five Golden Globes, the television landmark that leaves other landmarks in the dust. In every aspect - narrative structure, visual artistry, writing, intertextuality, ensemble acting, controversial themes, dark humor, and unflinching examinations of American life - The Sopranos has had few equals. Offering a definitive final assessment of the series, The Essential Sopranos Reader aims to examine the show's themes and enduring cultural significance.

Contributor Bio:  Howard, Douglas L Howard is the Writing Center coordinator and an assistant professor in the English Department at Suffolk County Community College in Seldon, New York. He lives in Plainview, New York. Contributor Bio:  Levinson, Paul Textbook author. Contributor Bio:  Bianculli, David David Bianculli has been a television critic for more than thirty years, currently on NPR's Fresh Air" with Terry Gross and at www.tvworthwatching.com. He is also the author of two books on television and its impact: Teleliteracy: Taking Television Seriously" and Dictionary of Teleliteracy: Television's 500 Biggest Hits, Misses, and Events".