Description
Book SynopsisOften hailed as one of the greatest television series of all time, The Sopranos is a product of its time, firmly embedded in the problems of post-industrial, post-ethnic America. In The Sopranos: Born under a Bad Sign, Franco Ricci examines the groundbreaking HBO series and its impact as a cultural phenomenon.
Ricci demonstrates an encyclopedic knowledge of the series, the genre, and their social context in his analysis of the show’s complex themes and characters. He explores The Sopranos’ deep engagement with problems of race, class, gender, and identity, specifically in its portrayal of the Italian-American experience, consumer and media-driven society, and contemporary psychosocial issues. The series’ protagonist, Mafia boss and patriarch Tony Soprano, in many ways embodies the anxieties of our age. Focusing on Tony’s internal struggles and interactions with his therapist, family, and associates, Ricci traces this archetypa
Trade Review
'The Sopranos is a unique, extended meditation on Chase as auteur... This book should be of interest to students and scholars in film/television studies, media studies, Italian American studies and related fields. Ricci's analysis also stands as a useful and usefully extended, case study for those interested in semiotics, mass media, and aesthetics.' -- Michael R. Frontani Italian American Review winter 2015 'Ricci's study is compelling, innovative, and even surprisingly moving.' -- Liz Roberts Media Education Journal vol 57:2015 'Franco Ricci's The Sopranos: Born under a Bad Sign provides an interesting take on a controversial, but much-heralded, television series... It is an important read for those interested in psychoanalysis, social commentary, history, and American popular culture.' -- Nick Giorgio H-Italy December 2014 'Ricci's book is a carefully considered and detailed study with an exhaustive and nuanced understanding of the show.' -- James McNamara Australian Book Review, January-February 2015
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments Introduction: "Coming Heavy": Revisiting, Rereading, Rethinking The Sopranos 1. Inner Sanctums 2. When I Grow Up I Want to Be an American 3. God Help the Beast in Me 4. Two Tonys: Drawing Conclusions from Mediated Mob Images 5. An Appendix of Verbal Bits and Visual Bytes 6. Conclusion Notes Suggested Readings Index
