Reading The L Word: Outing Contemporary Television (Reading Contemporary Television) (Paperback)

by Kim Akass (Editor), Janet McCabe (Editor), Sarah Warn (Introduction)
Key Phrases: show about lesbians, compulsory monogamy, queer approach, Bette Porter, Ilene Chaiken, Alice Pieszecki (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Over 20 contributors share their thoughts on The L Word, widely seen as Showtime's lesbian answer to HBO's Sex and the City, and, as expected, opinions vary. Some, like Sarah Warn, appreciate the mere presence of the show for its representation of attractive lesbians living interesting lives in LA. "Love it or hate it," she writes, "this series represents the first-and so far, only-attempt to make lesbians the center of attention." Others, like Samuel Chambers, bristle at its apparently "heteronormative" narrative. Rather than stacking it against, say, Desperate Housewives, he argues, the program should be examined through the prism of queer politics. Not all contributions are so academic, and complaints that the show appears to appeal to the male fantasy of lesbians are outweighed by the endorsement of those who see the show as part of a "golden age of gay TV." Kathy Belge explains why The L Word is sexy, and her unabashedly erotic praise illuminates the subtleties that will likely go over the heads of straight men watching the show for a thrill. Adding to the book's pop culture appeal is an insightful interview with Guinevere Turner, one of the show's writers, who helps fans understand the evolution of the characters and hints to their future trajectory. Fans of the series will appreciate this companion.
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Review
'A must-read book about the must-see lesbian sex drama that everybody loves but some love to hate.' --Jane Feuer 'Interesting and provocative.'- TLS

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Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: I. B. Tauris (March 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1845111796
• ISBN-13: 978-1845111793
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #343,857 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Don't hate us because we are (and only date) pretty lesbians..., March 21, 2008

By	Hedonist - See all my reviews

This book is overly academic, filled with the type of Ph.D student blah-blah that keeps these types from enjoying ANYTHING that is 'reifying the discursive hegemonic whiteness rather than engaging in postcolonial discourse of the subaltern'...ie, we use huge words to cover up the fact that we are saying very little. Thankfully, some of the contributors write intelligently about the L Word being QUITE subversive. However, there is the usual crap about the L Word pandering to 'straight men' merely because the stars are beautiful. By this false logic, lesbians therefore either: a. like ugly women or b. could care less what women look like. This is ignorant, ridiculous, and actually quite unsubversive, as it assumes that 'lesbian' is not a real sexuality, just a catch-all term for women who aren't 'pretty enough to get a man'. By showing beautiful lesbians, The L Word provides a little education for both ignorant straight men who assume every beautiful woman they see is straight and every ugly woman they see is a lesbian, AND ignorant straight women who call their platonic female friends their 'girlfriends' and exclaim 'but you're both too pretty to be lesbians!" when a pretty couple outs themselves. Luckily, the book is not all lipstick lesbian bashing or academicese, but there is enough of this to bring pause.

5.0 out of 5 stars Deeper Understanding, April 1, 2009

By	Hernani Jumahat "elementary school teacher" (Singapore) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is for 'The L Word' fans. It helped us to understand the whole concept of our favourite tv show in every angle.