{"product_id":"ghost-channels-paranormal-reality-television-and-the-haunting-of-twenty-first-century-america-hardcover","title":"Ghost Channels: Paranormal Reality Television and the Haunting of Twenty-First-Century America - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eAmy Lawrence\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThrough American history, often in times of crisis, there have been periodic outbreaks of obsession with the paranormal. Between 2004 and 2019, over six dozen documentary-style series dealing with paranormal subject matter premiered on television in the United States. Combining the stylistic traits of horror with earnest accounts of what are claimed to be actual events, \"paranormal reality\" incorporates subject matter formerly characterized as occult or supernatural into the established category of reality TV. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Despite the high number of programs and their evident popularity, paranormal reality television has to date received little critical attention. \u003ci\u003eGhost Channels: Paranormal Reality Television and the Haunting of Twenty-First-Century America\u003c\/i\u003e provides an overview of the paranormal reality television genre, its development, and its place in television history. Conducting in-depth analyses of over thirty paranormal television series, including such shows as \u003ci\u003eGhost Hunters\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eCelebrity Ghost Stories\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eLong Island Medium\u003c\/i\u003e, author Amy Lawrence suggests these programs reveal much about Americans' contemporary fears. Through her close readings, Lawrence asks, \"What are these shows trying to tell us?\" and \"What do they communicate about contemporary culture if we take them seriously and watch them closely?\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Ridiculed by nearly everyone, paranormal reality TV shows--with their psychics, ghost hunters, and haunted houses--provide unique insights into contemporary American culture. Half-horror, half-documentary realism, these shows expose deep-seated questions about class, race, gender, the value of technology, the failure of institutions, and what it means to be American in the twenty-first century.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmy Lawrence \u003c\/b\u003eis professor emerita of film and media studies at Dartmouth College. She is author of \u003ci\u003eThe Passion of Montgomery Clift\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Films of Peter Greenaway\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eEcho and Narcissus: Women's Voices in Classical Hollywood Cinema\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 268\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.75 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e March 08, 2022\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42707533758527,"sku":"9781496838100","price":198.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/8226\/1823\/files\/4c05bd11163e2917c70b6f6f8f7a8d5c.webp?v=1765044457","url":"https:\/\/dhl-adrianne.myshopify.com\/products\/ghost-channels-paranormal-reality-television-and-the-haunting-of-twenty-first-century-america-hardcover","provider":"BBB","version":"1.0","type":"link"}