The New Queer Aesthetic on Television: Essays on Recent Programming

Book info: The New Queer Aesthetic on Television: Essays on Recent Programming (Paperback, 222 pages) – McFarland, 2005. Language: English.

Television is awash with newly embraced gay and lesbian themes that have crossed over into the collective pop culture of America. Dramas like Queer As Folk and The L Word, comedies like Will & Grace,and even reality shows including the popular Queer Eye for the Straight Guy signify a new commercial acceptance of homosexuality that has never been seen before in the United States. However, the increasing exposure has prompted critics to argue that the gay and lesbian representation on television is oversimplified and is rife with one-dimensional characters. Ultimately, the viewers will decide the future of homosexuality and homosexual characters on television.

The text offers essays that explore such topics as the politics of representation and the clash of progressive and regressive social agendas in television and the emphasis on the search for a space for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and the transgendered within the mainstream media. The book contains criticisms of characters in such shows as Six Feet Under, Queer As Folk, Friends and Ellen.

Editorial Reviews Review “a thought-provoking read...must-have...Keller’s tome will be a reference you will want to thumb through the next time you take the DVD off the shelf―or it may compel you to do so”―Scarlett. About the Author James R. Keller is a professor and chair of the English and Theatre department at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky. The author or editor of numerous works about popular culture, he lives in Lexington, Kentucky.

Leslie Stratyner, a professor of English at Mississippi University for Women, lives in Columbus, Mississippi.