Little Boxes - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1566894727 ISBN 13: 9781566894722

Publisher: Coffee House Press, 2017

Synopsis

What happens when television is part of your cultural DNA? Twelve writers talk about their influences, and they're more Magnum PI than Marcel Proust. This is cultural criticism from an enthusiast's point of view—taking sitcoms and dramedies and very special episodes seriously, not because they're art, but because they matter to us. Little Boxes is TV writing not as “Why I Loved Parker Lewis Can't Lose” but “What Is Up with Everyone in the 80s Having a Domestic: The Different Strokes/Gimme a Break/Mr. Belvedere/Charles in Charge Story.”

Essays by:

Elena Passarello
Edan Lepucki
V. V. Ganeshananthan
Jenny Hendrix
Ryan Van Meter
Rumaan Alam
Justin Torres
Elisa Gabbert
Justin Taylor
Justin Torres
T Clutch Fleischmann
Nina McConigley

Danielle Evans

About this title

Review

“Little Boxes is a slim and thoughtful collection of essays that dig deeply into TV: why it matters to us, what makes it work, and what makes it fail.” —Vox, “8 Essential Pieces of Pop Culture to Catch up on This Weekend”

“The observations presented in Little Boxes not only hold an intellectual appeal to those interested in the cultural importance of television, but they appeal to anyone who has ever had a favorite television character, who still remembers a particularly poignant Very Special Episode or the first time you saw a version of yourself on screen. Really, this collection will interest anyone who has ever been captivated by a fictional world flickering on the small screen.” —Atticus Review, “Thanks to Television, I Knew Everything”

“...the essays in Little Boxes add some appreciable heat to the glow of the pale blue light coming from the foot of the bed, the living room wall mount, the recess above the Frigidaire.” —Sinkhole Magazine

"[Little Boxes] is an exemplary collection. No two essays are overly similar, yet they fit together and relate to one another in a way that goes beyond just forming a cohesive book. It's also full of smart and beautiful writing.” —Books & Whatnot

“From Twin Peaks to Daria, Little Boxes is filled to the brim with sharp writing that is at once critical and utterly personal, penned by a diverse list of writers.” —Shakespeare & Punk

Edition details

• Publisher: Coffee House Press
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1566894727
• ISBN 13: 9781566894722
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208
• Editor: Casey Caroline