Description
Book SynopsisAlready acknowledged by Metacritic and the Guinness World Records as the highest-rated series in the history of television, Breaking Bad has elicited an unprecedented amount of criticism. Writers both popular and academic, columnists as well as eager commenters, have addressed every imaginable topic, from the show's characterization and major scenes, to fine details such as Walt's knack for picking up habits from those he kills, and the symbolism inherent within the cars that characters own.This book considers another perspective, one relatively unexplored to date. By considering the series from the perspective of its interior spaces, two possibilities emerge. Firstly, the spaces become a tangible record of their characters' inner lives, one that provides something like an objective correlative or photographic negative of their thought processes and approach to the world. They provide more, and richer ways to trace the course of character, action, and themes throughout the series. Seco
Trade ReviewThis focused, yet diverse collection shows how years after the conclusion of Breaking Bad the series remains compelling and thought-provoking. These essays cover familiar Breaking Bad topics such as masculinity, economic inequality, and the American frontier, but all framed within one of the most important themes of the series: the landscape. From interiors of physical spaces to those of characters, the theme of space provides insight on a variety of topics. This collection is a valuable contribution to television studies and the continuing body of Breaking Bad scholarship. -- Jeffrey Bullins, State University of New York Plattsburgh
“Stay out of my territory” warned Walter White in Breaking Bad. However, despite the warning, a group of scholars have intruded into Mr. White´s territory where the many spaces of his life and surroundings are explored in an highly interesting and enlightening fashion. -- Vidar Halldorsson, University of Iceland
Table of ContentsIntroduction: No Replacement for Displacement Cheryl D. Edelson Part I: Outside In Chapter 1: “We’ve Got Rot:” Water, Pollution, Purification, and Transformation in Breaking Bad Erin Bell Chapter 2: Breaking Free: Confinement and AMC’s Breaking Bad Matthew Paproth Chapter 3:“I am the danger:” Walter White the Gravedigger Will Gray Chapter 4: Jesse’s House is Not a Home: Space, Place, and the Myth of the Private Domicile in Breaking Bad Dana Och Chapter 5: Capital Flow and the Representation of Space in Breaking Bad Marco Bohr Part II: Inside Out Chapter 6: Cooking up Trouble: Gendered Spaces, Sublimated Violence, and Perverted Domesticity in Breaking Bad Elizabeth Lowry Chapter 7: An Elevator of One’s Own: Performativity and Masculinity in Breaking Bad Frances Smith Chapter 8: The Myth of the Frontier in Breaking Bad: Breaking Out, Breaking In, and Breaking Free Lisa Weckerle Chapter 9: The Sound of a Moral Drama Tyler McCabe Chapter 10: Reading Rooms: Spatial Literacy in Breaking Bad Fabio L. Vericat Coda: Desert Interiors: The Natural Conceits of Breaking Bad Russell A. Potter
