Loading...
"I am the one who knocks!": What It Means to Be a Man in Breaking Bad
Wille, Stephanie
Wille, Stephanie
Citations
Altmetric:
Abstract
Breaking Bad (AMC, 2008-2013) dramatizes the rise and fall of Walter White, a mild-mannered high school chemistry teacher who, through a series of misfortunes and freak opportunities, is transformed into a notorious, brutal drug kingpin -- a trajectory described as "Mr. Chips" to "Scarface." I contextualize and conduct a textual analysis of this acclaimed television series as a case study that demonstrates the increasingly complex construction of masculine identity in contemporary television. This study examines the reception of specific characters among critics and audiences, as well as investigates the ways in which the setting and depiction of ethnicities influence representations of masculinity. Calling for attention to the apparent lack in masculinity studies on television, the complex male representation in Breaking Bad suggests that men are not merely experiencing a crisis of their masculinity in contemporary society, but demonstrates that there is a problem with uniform white, hetero-normative representation of masculinity on TV.
Description
Date
2014-12-31
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Kansas
Files
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Keywords
Film studies, Breaking Bad, Fatherhood on Television, Male-Centered Drama, Masculinity Studies, Men's Studies, Television Studies