Comments for television authorship

Comment on Bibilography by Antonio Savorelli

Antonio Savorelli — Sun, 16 May 2010 21:55:01 +0000

I’m the author of the article at #5. I would like to point out that the article itself was never officially published (hence the bibliographical reference isn’t correct). In fact, it was only a detailed abstract of my dissertation. Also, for various reasons, its focus on Arrested Development was very limited—it was merely a passing reference.

The whole research became a book later in Italy, and is coming out in the United States soon (already available on Amazon), translated and expanded, with the title Beyond Sitcom: New Directions in American Television Comedy, published by McFarland & Co. More details here: http://beyondsitcom.com/

Comment on Ziggy is back! The Wire vs. Generation Kill by asmoker

asmoker — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 02:38:26 +0000

ziggy, a soldier?

a fucking soldier?!

jesus, get that shit straight nigga, the character was a god damned Marine

Comment on The Wire (and other HBO shows): Legitimizing Television by mdobright

mdobright — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 03:51:36 +0000

I appreciate this. Starting from a locus of defense for television within film discourse undermines the argument. Assuming televisual efficacy licenses greater analysis, and already legitimizes the medium as an intellectual form, not that the form needs to be holistically involved in intellectual endeavors, but that intellectual discourse transpires within television.

Comment on “The Wire” – A Perfect Name For An Almost Perfect Show by mdobright

mdobright — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 03:47:38 +0000

I love your observation. Nothing functions independently within The Wire narrative, but is rather historically situated by former and contemporaneous events. The narrative arcs have intersections and are transmuted as a result.

Comment on Effectiveness of systemic analysis by mdobright

mdobright — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 03:41:45 +0000

The Wire cannot solely enact systematic transformation. Additional texts like the wire may precipitate consciousness and of the travails of criminal urban spaces, however it is what is done with these texts that enact change. It is constituent pragmatism with the use of texts as frameworks for analysis.

Comment on Polan on “The Wire” by mdobright

mdobright — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 03:34:04 +0000

I agree the representational narrative of The Wire cannot be transposed to any urban locale or to all of Baltimore. Within the narrative of The Wire this is often lost since its construction is so meticulous on a particular urban space other locales are left outside of its purview.

Comment on Losing Momentum by mdobright

mdobright — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 03:25:48 +0000

I dont think the show is losing momentum but rather preparing for an additional vein to the narrative. Also it is important to indicate that although we name Simon as the authorial voice of The Wire, he is not the sole author of the text. Other Writers participate in the scripting of The Wire in collusion with his vision.

Comment on War Television by mdobright

mdobright — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 03:15:40 +0000

I think one of the questions that needs to be posed is what work does a television war series do as opposed to war film.

Comment on The Institution Always Wins by mdobright

mdobright — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 03:10:57 +0000

I think it is more of a dialectic. Within The Wire there seems to be no instances of individuated merit, and if so it is representationally criminalized. However, what is present implicates what is absent. The absence of individual triumphs does not mean they do not occur, but they are not predominant and they are not rendered within The Wire’s construction. The Wire represents moments of systemic subjugations of constituent citizenry, which with out collective interrogation persists. Also significant is people are constitutive components of the institution. What assists in propagation of mythology are the people and the ideological framework the people employ.

Comment on Femininity in The Wire by mdobright

mdobright — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 03:05:48 +0000

I agree. Kima’s character is masculinized and represented devoid of femininity. The lack of varied female delineations is what pronounces Kima’s non-normative construction. The absence of varied femininity elucidations configures The Wire as a hegemonic text of masculinist orientation. Thus while it works to subvert institutional work of race and class it reinforces another paradigmatic subversion.