Seinology: The Sociology of Seinfeld [Paperback]

Tim Delaney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2006

No one was better at turning everyday social interactions into memorable comedy sketches than Seinfeld creators Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David. The show, still very current in syndication, is filled with astute social observations delivered with great comic effect. Sociologist, and avid Seinfeld fan, Tim Delaney explores the sociological implications of the famous comedy show in "Seinology". Part sociology primer and part Seinfeld tribute, Delaney's book uses excerpts from many of the now-classic episodes to illustrate key facets of sociology. Along the way, readers are treated to an entertaining and educational tour of the whole Seinfeld series. In fifteen chapters, amusingly titled after some of the shows famous incidents, Delaney reviews the major contributions of sociology.Examples include: 'Tub is love' (socialisation and personal relationships); 'Not that there is anything wrong with that' (sex and gender issues); 'You double-dipped the chip!' (social deviance); 'Happy Festivus: a festival for the rest of us' (religion); 'Look to the cookie, Elaine' (race and ethnicity); 'You don't have to help anybody. That's what this country's all about' (crime and social control); 'Yada, yada, yada' (and much, much more). For sociologists looking for a unique way to introduce their students to the field, for high school students or undergraduates taking their first sociology course, and for every Seinfeld fan, "Seinology" is both educational and a fun read.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the 1990s,the immensely successful sitcom Seinfeld brilliantly used humor to reveal America's obsession with moral behavior. Delaney, who teaches sociology at the State University of New York, Oswego, claims the show examines the same issues as sociology: race, ethnicity, deviance, crime, and personal relationships. True, Seinfeld offered layered and sophisticated observations about social interactions. But Delaney's analysis is superficial. Obvious statements like "The police have a tough job" and "Social interaction plays an important role in an individual's life" are followed by plot summaries from various episodes. While Delaney aims for a chatty style, his personal comments are sophomoric: "There are a number of behaviors that are not criminal but perhaps should be. For example, 'picking your nose' in public, I believe, should be illegal." His tedious writing is rife with repetition. Seinfeld is an ideal forum to illuminate social norms and anxieties, and worthy of serious academic critique; alas, this shallow offering isn't it. (Mar.)
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About the Author

Tim Delaney (Oswego, NY) is assistant professor of sociology at the State University of New York at Oswego.

Product Details

• Paperback: 317 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (March 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591023955
• ISBN-13: 978-1591023951
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #152,763 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Weak on Seinology, Weaker on Sociology, May 30, 2006

By 

Ellis Godard (Moorpark, CA United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Seinology: The Sociology of Seinfeld (Paperback)

The Publishers Weekly review is spot on. Half-baked quasi-thoughts from the discipline's yeasteryear, combined with troublingly absurd prognostications, won't do much to satisfy sociologists or introduce you to the discipline. The mediocre plot summaries are buttressed by more detail about the show's 186 episodes than PW admits, and about which Delaney clearly knows a great deal, but there's not enough new or interpretative to do much for Seinfeld fans. The combined weaknesses will simply frustrate anyone who is BOTH a sociologist AND a Seinfeld fan.

If you want to be the master of your domain, either disciplinarily or zeitgeistian, you'd do as well (nay, better) to find plot summaries online, open to a random page in any Sociology textbook, and discover or invent connections on your own. It'd be cheaper, more fun, more social, and (since Delaney's Sociology is somewhat shallow, and his Seinology sometimes overbearing) more educational.

I suspect that the book will sell well as a function of its title, despite the arguable poverty of its content. Maybe Delaney's snickering like Neuman, or maybe he's as incomplete as Kramer. But if you fancy yourself as having a fraction of Jerry's clarity, perception, and/or frugality, keep on shopping - IMHO, this isn't it.

OTOH, if you crave for more of a show eight years passed its cancellation (and the outtakes on DVD releases simply aren't enough) and/of if you don't know anything Sociology and want to pretend that you do without actually learning much about it, there are clearly those (see other reviews, here and elsewhere) who've found value in this volume - not that there's anything wrong with that, just that there's not clearly something right about it, either.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Long on Description, Short on Analysis, February 8, 2009

By 

colinwoodward (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seinology: The Sociology of Seinfeld (Paperback)

Seinology is an entertaining book for Seinfeld fans, but it's long on plot summaries and short on analysis. The organization of the book is thematic, exploring such topics as religion, sexual relationships, family, and sports. For a book with academic pretensions, Seinology lacks a strong central thesis and sufficient analysis. Delaney too often simply strings together scenes from shows that deal with various topics without analyzing what Seinfeld had to say about them. For example, when Seinfeld had an episode about a circumcision (The Bris), what was it saying about this religious practice or religion in general? That such rites are ridiculous? That religious people are crazy? Many other shows addressed the subjects Seinfeld made fun of. But how did these views differ from, say, the view of "Friends" or "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" on relationships or religion? In short, Delaney doesn't get under the surface of what made Seinfeld unique (and brilliant). He shows that Seinfeld, as with sociology, explores many aspects of human behavior. Okay. But I think he could go further than that. I will venture that Seinfeld's take on human nature was that most people are functionally insane. Critical readers, not to mention critical Seinfeld fans, will come away from this book very hungry. Furthermore, from a literary point of view, some statements Delaney makes would get flagged in your average senior thesis. For example, do I really need to know that he fantasizes about Christina Applegate? Not really. The book also has some sloppy proofreading errors. This book makes for fun reading, but the great book about Seinfeld has yet to be written.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for an educational look on everyday life!, June 14, 2006

By 

Sociology Sweetie (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seinology: The Sociology of Seinfeld (Paperback)

I thought Seinology was a great book. If you do not know alot about sociology it helps you learn several different topics covered by sociologists and puts it into an example from which you can understand the topic. Giving the descriptions from Seinfeld helps the reader put everything together, and lets you think of examples in our own everyday lives where you can relate. It is funny to read the examples that Delaney gives in his book from Seinfeld. Not being a big veiwer of the show, after reading the book, I wanted to go rent every season.