The Dynasty Years: Hollywood Television and Critical Media Studies (Comedia) [Hardcover]

Jostein Gripsrud (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415085985 | ISBN-13: 978-0415085984 | Publication Date: March 29, 1995 | Edition: 1

The Dynasty Years documents and analyses in detail 'the Dynasty phenomenon', the hotly debated success of the Hollywood-made 'Rolls Royce of a primetime soap' which heralded a profound transformation of European television.
From the operatic camp of Krystle and Alexis' fight in the lilypond or the Moldavian wedding massacre to the unprecedented gay sub-plot, Dynasty represented, in the words of co-producer Esther Shapiro, "the ultimate dollhouse fantasy for middle-aged women". Using evidence from audience survey results, newspaper and magazine clippings and letters to broadcasters and drawing on semiotics, psychoanalysis, feminism and critical social theories, Jostein Gripsrud examines every aspect of Dynasty's production, reception and context.
The result is a groundbreaking critical study. Jostein Gripsrud offers a theoretical but empirically grounded critique of many central positions in media studies, including notions of 'audience resistance' and the 'sovereign' audience and its freedom in meaning-making, arguing against what he perceives as the uncritical celebrations of the soap-opera genre in much contemporary media criticism.

Editorial Reviews

Review

One of the most sensible books I have read about the meanings and demeaning of television ... a clear-headed analysis of the Dynasty phenomenon. Gripsrud's reflections on the static and wistful academic celebrations of American television are sorely needed..
–Todd Gitlin, University of California, Berkeley

Jostein Gripsrud's study of Dynasty provides an original perspecitive on the processes and consequences of one of the main themes of our era -- the internationalization of popular culture..
–Nick Browne, University of California, Los Angeles

About the Author

Jostein Gripsrud is Professor in the Department of Media Studies, Univeristy of Bergen, Norway.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (March 29, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415085985
• ISBN-13: 978-0415085984
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,701,212 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Take your Time!, July 10, 2004

By 

BC "BC" (Asbury Park, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Dynasty Years: Hollywood Television and Critical Media Studies (Comedia) (Paperback)

Being a HUGE Dynasty fan, I bought this book not really knowing what it was about. It certainly IS about Dynasty, but buyer beware...it is about Dynasty's affect on Norway's mass media market. It's rather interesting, but takes a lot of patience to get through, as I caught myself glazing over, trying to understand all the technical terms and statistics used in some passages. If you are looking for a tell-all, behind the scenes TV Book, THIS IS NOT IT! Most of the book is more about Scandanavian society than the show itself, but the author definitely sheds some interesting light on what goes on in producing and marketing a television show. This is NOT a coffee table book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a serious analysis [not a parody], June 19, 2006

By 

W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dynasty Years: Hollywood Television and Critical Media Studies (Comedia) (Hardcover)

At first, I did not know how seriously to take this book. It seemed like an elaborate prank. However gradually upon reading it, I realised that the author is deadly earnest. It is a sociological analysis of the episodes of Dynasty, as viewed on Norwegian television. But, and this is the significant point, it is also a co-analysis of the reaction of those episodes on the Norwegian audience.

It should be made clear that the book is not some fluffy tabloid precis of the show. Gripsrud expertly dissects the role of the prime time soap opera, using Dynasty as the case study.

If you are an American who watched the original episodes in the US, then this book might be a fascinating twisted perspective.