Television Drama: Theories and Identities »

Sue Thornham is Professor of Media and Cultural Studies at the University of Sussex. She has published widely in her field, with publications including Media Studies: A Reader 2e (Edinburgh University Press) and Feminism and Cultural Studies (Edward Arnold).

Tony Purvis is Lecturer in the School of Arts, Design and Media at the University of Sunderland.

Thornham (media and cultural studies, U. of Sussex, UK) and Purvis (School of Arts, Design, and Media; U. of Sunderland, UK) outline key approaches employed in television criticism over the past 30 years and demonstrate the uses of these theoretical and critical approaches to case studies drawn from British and US television drama. Additionally, television dramas and the critical perspectives are contextualized in terms of the changing cultural identities, histories, and discourses that have influenced their production and reception. The authors include discussion of the theories of Roland Barthes, Judith Butler, Gayatri Spivak, and others. Annotation ©2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR