Mad Men, Mad World

"I read this collection with enormous pleasure. The essays are smart, creative, and original. Writing on matters from TV technology to the history of advertising, and from the early civil rights movement to analogies between Jews and nineteenth-century dandies, the contributors illuminate what turns out to be a very rich and charismatic cultural object. I think that Mad Men, Mad World will make a real splash." - Bruce Robbins, author of Perpetual War: Cosmopolitanism from the Viewpoint of Violence "The essays assembled in this collection pay careful, astute analytical attention to one of American television's most significant contemporary series. Deepening its approach far beyond that of standard appreciations of 'quality TV,' this book illuminates Mad Men's complex, powerful engagement with capitalism, national identity, race, and gender at a time when these categories are so evidently in flux." - Diane Negra, coeditor of Interrogating Postfeminism: Gender and the Politics of Popular Culture "What a treat for me to delve into this work with so much academic and intellectual rigor - I love it!" - Phil Abraham, director, Mad Men "One of the most critically acclaimed and culturally fetishized television shows of the past decade receives an intellectual deconstruction in this collection of academic essays... Throughout the book are intelligent discussions dissecting the central themes addressed in the show, such as masculinity and feminism, identity, and race relations and representations."--Publishers Weekly, January 2013 "The collection is intended for superfans, TV enthusiasts, or people enrolled in undergraduate media-studies courses... The core tension binding these 16 essays is Mad Men's representation of history. Some contributors believe the show instills within its viewers the illusion of moral superiority; others feel it opens a compelling dialogue around history, experience, and interpretation."--Bitch Magazine, Spring 2013 "Mad Men, Mad World's brilliance is that it analyzes storylines and characters from completely unexpected angles... These are deeply considered pieces that truly spark intellectual discussion. It's a mad world, indeed, but this book helps to bring some order to the chaos." - Natalie Papailiou, Shelf Awareness for Readers "The varying perspectives presented make this work useful supplemental reading for television critics, scholars, and researchers interested in deeper analysis of the show's portrayal of 1960s culture." - Kimberley Bugg, Library Journal