The prime-time presidency : the West Wing and U.S. nationalism /

For US citizens, the office of the president embodies the cultural and political identity of the nation. However, views of the president are shaped not only by the real-life men who have held the office but also by cultural representations of presidents in art, literature, and film. Trevor Perry-Giles and Shawn Perry-Giles (both, Univ. of Maryland, College Park) explore the influence of mimetic representations of the presidency through detailed analysis of the television show The West Wing. Using pop-culture theories and Aristotle's theory of mimesis, the authors examine how The West Wing has shaped American nationalism (they include discussion of how the show dealt with 9/11). They pay particular attention to race, gender, and military aspects of nationalism and to the show's critique of romantic views of the presidency. The authors cover the same ground Melissa Crawley does in Mr. Sorkin Goes to Washington (2006), but their emphasis on nationalism differentiates the present title from Crawley's. Television's pervasive influence in shaping views of the presidency makes analyses like these timely and intriguing, and certainly libraries should make room on their shelves for more than one book on this topic. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. All readers; all levels. P. J. Kurtz Minot State University