Applying a Rhizomatic Lens to Television Genres
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
A THOUSAND TV SHOWS: APPLYING A RHIZOMATIC LENS TO TELEVISION GENRES _______________________________________ A Dissertation presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School at the University of Missouri-Columbia _______________________________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy _____________________________________________________ by NETTIE BROCK Dr. Ben Warner, Dissertation Supervisor May 2018 The undersigned, appointed by the dean of the Graduate School, have examined the Dissertation entitled A Thousand TV Shows: Applying A Rhizomatic Lens To Television Genres presented by Nettie Brock A candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy And hereby certify that, in their opinion, it is worthy of acceptance. ________________________________________________________ Ben Warner ________________________________________________________ Elizabeth Behm-Morawitz ________________________________________________________ Stephen Klien ________________________________________________________ Cristina Mislan ________________________________________________________ Julie Elman ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Someone recently asked me what High School Nettie would think about having written a 300+ page document about television shows. I responded quite honestly: “High School Nettie wouldn’t have been surprised. She knew where we were heading.” She absolutely did. I have always been pretty sure I would end up with an advanced degree and I have always known what that would involve. The only question was one of how I was going to get here, but my favorite thing has always been watching television and movies. Once I learned that a job existed where I could watch television and, more or less, get paid for it, I threw myself wholeheartedly into pursuing that job. I get to watch television and talk to other people about it. That’s simply heaven for me. A lot of people helped me get here. I thank them all in person constantly, but I want to ensure that their contributions are clear. My family has been endlessly supportive of what I wanted to do with my life. They have never told me that my goals weren’t achievable. My parents often encouraged my movie watching habits, and certainly forced me to critically examine what it was I was watching. They were also always happy to answer questions about I Love Lucy or what life was really like in the 1960s. My siblings have been a huge help along the way. Josiah has frequently been an informal research assistant, watching Davy Crockett, M*A*S*H, and countless others for me when I didn’t have access and he did. Naomi loves to keep me in my place, calling me out when I get too far down my academic rabbit hole, but also enlisting her psychology degree when my mental health would go awry. She was also nice enough to give me a couple niblings to cheer me up whenever necessary. So, thanks for Enid and Calvin! Finally, Nathan helped to get me to this point. ii He wasn’t around to see me through my doctoral program, but his help in my master’s program was invaluable and I wouldn’t be here if not for him. I love you all. My friends have also been a constant source of comfort and love. Over the last five years, friends have come and gone, because of the nature of graduate school. The people who have helped me along the way are numerous. They have each heard me cry and yell and babble, and they still cared about me. But most prominently amongst them, Jessica has been there since day one, almost as excited about my research as I am, and certainly always happy to provide me with an example when necessary. Joel is a constant source of laughter and support. He was there in my darkest moments, appearing when no one else did, simply to give me a hug. Lauren has only recently entered my life, but the last two years would not have been nearly so much fun without her. She is the best friend I have ever had. She is everything. Then there is Josh. Over the last five years, Josh has been my comrade in arms, my best friend, my strength. He keeps me sane and keeps me going. He has taught me so much, including about how to be a better version of myself. But, extremely bizarrely, he has taught me the most about wrestling. The most interesting thing I have learned about wrestling is this: To successfully fake something, you have to be really, really good at it. One cannot manage an elaborate ruse without being an expert in the field in which you are thriving. I think this is always good advice. Then, there is that academic support that every graduate student needs. My lovely committee members: Lissa Behm-Morawitz has been a stalwart, always there to help me when necessary. Steve Klien, who happily advises me along my process. Cristina Mislan and Julie Elman, who have both helped my dissertation become the wonderful document it now is. You are a wonderful committee and I thank you for all the work you’ve done. iii But a graduate student is nothing without her advisor. I have been lucky enough to have two. Melissa Click is, plain and simply, the greatest person I know. As she was teaching me to be a good researcher and teacher, she was also demonstrating how to be the best kind of person. More than anything else, Melissa has inspired the kind of teacher and advisor I want to be. She is kind. She is generous. She is incredible. Finally, in this long process, there was Ben Warner, who both hates visual metaphors and thinks that this dissertation should have more tanks. When the days looked the bleakest, through the darkness, I saw a glimmering image of hope. You have seen me through this process. You helped me to discern the nuances of my argument. You let me recognize the depth within my research and within myself. Most of all, you noticed me when I felt lost amongst the weeds. Tank you. Tank you. Tank you. /”"”"”"”"”"”"\======░ /”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”\ \_@_@_@_@_@_/ (http://copy.r74n.com/ascii-art) Research of this level cannot be completed in isolation. I would have gone crazy without the people around me. All the people who helped me are far to numerous to mention. They know who they are. I love them and am eternally grateful for all the work they have done to keep me sane. This document is a testament to them, to the person they help me to be everyday. I could not have done this without them, all of them. All of you. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................................. ii ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................. ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 1 The Importance of Genre ..................................................................................................... 7 Complex Television ............................................................................................................ 16 Attributes of the shift ........................................................................................................ 18 Reasons for the Shift ........................................................................................................ 22 Preview ............................................................................................................................... 27 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................... 31 Genre .................................................................................................................................. 32 What is Genre? ................................................................................................................. 32 Alternate Conceptions of Genre ........................................................................................ 42 Rhizomes ............................................................................................................................. 53 Philosophical Definition ................................................................................................... 54 Biological Definition ........................................................................................................ 59 My Usage ............................................................................................................................ 61 CHAPTER 3: METHOD ............................................................................................... 67 Which Genres? ................................................................................................................... 68 Procedures .......................................................................................................................... 70 Textual Analysis .............................................................................................................. 70 Historical Analysis ........................................................................................................... 75 Sitcoms ................................................................................................................................ 81 Westerns ............................................................................................................................. 83 v CHAPTER 4: HISTORY OF TELEVISION ................................................................. 86 Programs............................................................................................................................