Defining Visions : Television and the American Experience in the 20th Century

Praise for the first edition of Defining Visions: In this compact, sharply observed, often eloquent volume Mary Ann Watson looks at post-war American society and postwar American television and ponders the interrelationship. It makes for an absorbing historical panorama full of ironies and seeming contrictions....Watson pictures an industry wrestling with...problems, looking for solutions that remain elusive. --Erik Barnouw, Television Quarterly [Defining Visions] is a beautifully-written, textured analysis of American television. Watson has produced good history and good analytic integration of sources and original observations... --Everette Dennis, Felix E. Larkin Distinguished Professor of Communications and Media Management, Fordham University Watson's Defining Visions ably introduces the reader to television culture in an informative, often entertaining manner. ....Watson might well join the ranks of authors Neil Postman and Erik Barnouw...attracting those within and outside the academy. As it stands, Defining Visions will most likely find a receptive readership among undergraduates. --Robin R. Means, Journal of Popular Film & Television ****** Defining Visions is a powerful narrative social history that examines television's rise as the great "certifying agent" in American life. This newly updated and fully revised edition extends its coverage to the end of the 20th century. It defines the "Television Age" as a discrete period in American history bracketed by monumental events-the triumph of the Allied victory of WWII and the devastation of 9/11. The new edition includes discussions of key events in American history and TV history since the book's original publication in 1997, including the Monica Lewinsky scandal and Clinton impeachment; the massacre at Columbine High School; the 2000 presidential election; and the television coverage of September 11, 2001. In addition, the book considers the cultural impact of recent prime-time programs such as Seinfeld, CSI, and Will & Grace.As with the successful first edition, Defining Visions: Television and the American Experience in the 20th Century is thematically organized and presents a sweeping account of the connections between the medium and American culture. It tells the story of how television not only covered history in the 20th century but also actively influenced its course.

Mary Ann Watson is Professor of Electronic Media and Film Studies at Eastern Michigan University. She is author of The Expanding Vista: American Television in the Kennedy Years (1994) and has been a consultant to several museum exhibitions and documentary films. Watson serves on the editorial board of Television Quarterly and is a frequent contributor to its pages.