17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Considering "The Sopranos" as contemporary morality plays, March 30, 2003
This review is from: The Gospel According to Tony Soprano: An Unauthorized Look Into the Soul of TV's Top Mob Boss and His Family (Paperback)
I remember the original book in this particular sub-genre of American literature, "The Gospel According to Peanuts." Since Robert L. Short published that little volume in 1965 we have seen many similar efforts using such hot popular culture properties as "The Simpsons" and "Harry Potter." Of course, if you start from the premise that any and all narratives either conform to or violate scripture by definition. The corollary is that the more scripture you know, the more you can find relevant in any popular culture text you look at, whether it be a comic strip or a television show. However, even from that premise you have to admit that "The Gospel According to Tony Soprano" represents the extreme in this little genre since the Soprano crime family is about as godless as you can get on television.
Chris Seay is interested in exploring the many reasons why the hit HBO series "The Sopranos" connects so deeply with viewers (despite the title the volume looks at all of the characters on the series and not just Tony). The obvious answer, from my perspective, is because it is a well-written, well-acted television series and most of what is on the tube stinks. However, as a pastor Seay sees the hit series as exposing the mysteries of faith, family, life, and God. Consequently, Seay uses "The Sopranos" as a source of contemporary parables. However, what is surprising is that most of the analysis is done without explicit reference to scripture. When Seay does cite particular verses they are general declarations, such as "Love covers over a multitude of sins" and "He who loves [his son] is careful to discipline him." This is not a chapter and verse explication of the series from a Christian perspective heavy with annotations and scriptural citations; the endnotes are more likely to cite publications by "The New York Times" as the book of Proverbs.
Obviously the big issues here are the questions of what is right and wrong, and the moral conflict of the characters on "The Sopranos" is a large part of what makes it work. Morality is a large part of religion, but the terms are by no means equivalent. Consequently, I would challenge the idea that God permeates the show. Carmela Soprano's faith is a large part of her character, but from that perspective no other character in the show comes close. But saying that religion is not a big part of the characters on "The Sopranos" does not take away from Seay's ability to use the series for religious purposes. Still, in chapter after chapter it really seems to me as if the religious arguments Seay makes at the end of each chapter could have been made on non-religious terms as well. Ironically, readers who do not see themselves as being Christians may well enjoy this book more than those who do not, because the final revelation here is that "The Gospel According to Tony Soprano" really is more popular culture than religion.
On those grounds this is an interesting little book for fans of the series. I enjoyed the chapter on "Carmela Soprano: The Queen of the Castle" more than "Tony Soprano: A Neo-Solomon from New Jersey," but that is probably due in part to the fact I find her to be the more complex character. Livia Soprano is dealt with in a chapter entitled "Isolation: Ducks, Delusions, and Depression," but obviously an entire book could be devoted to this particular mother-son relationship; Dr. Melfi has been going at it for four seasons and look how far she has gotten with it in her sessions with Tony. I also thought the chapter "Psychology: Tomato Sauce for your Ass" had several interesting insights. Consequently, I would be happy to recommend this volume to fans of "The Sopranos" who would be interested in thinking about the series on a deeper level of meaning.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Sopranos' Meaning of Life, September 4, 2002
This review is from: The Gospel According to Tony Soprano: An Unauthorized Look Into the Soul of TV's Top Mob Boss and His Family (Paperback)
Those who are truly addicted to the "The Sopranos" know that it is so much more than a well done gangster show. As the author points out, the show strikes a deep chord in its viewers. This book is one of the first of what I suspect will be a number of serious analyses of this pop culture marvel. The author, Chris Seay, examines the show through the prism of Biblical history, spirituality, philosophy and the dark underside of American values. Don't let these heavy topics scare you: it is written in a plain spoken, witty and accessible style. It is in fact a very quick read.
Seay, himself a Sopranos addict (and clergyman), covers the show from many angles: major characters are analyzed in depth, as are the age old themes of sex, power, betrayal and humankind's search for meaning in our earthly lives that permeate the show. You also can't help but read it and ask yourself - how different am I really from the vile, charismatic, funny and all too human people that I welcome into my living room each week? A must for the true fan.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Finding the good in the bad..., November 10, 2002
This review is from: The Gospel According to Tony Soprano: An Unauthorized Look Into the Soul of TV's Top Mob Boss and His Family (Paperback)
This book was intriguing for the mind of a simpleton of myself. I like the Sopranos and have nothing to offer religion but the comparisions in this book to the characters of the Sopranos and religious matriarchs of the bible kept me reading on. The Gospel... was a book for me that gave insight of religion of today and the entertainment world. Finding the good in the bad was what came out of reading it. Anyone who feels that the Sopranos is not a show worthy of their eyes because of violence and language they need to read this book and look beyond all that.
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