American Television Shows in a Post-9/11 Society: Representations of Terrorism and Trauma in The West Wing, 24, and Homeland.
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2015-06-15
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en
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Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, television has tried to accurately deal with and reflect on the issue of terrorism and the attacks themselves. This thesis examines the way in which American television shows have been displayed and invoked in the aftermath of 9/11, how the emotions depicted have changed over the course of the years. The analysis is focused around three specific episodes of The West Wing, 24, and Homeland, respectively. These shows all represent different phases in the aftermath of 9/11, namely the phase of information seeking, the phase of retaliation, and the phase of doubt. This thesis offers an analysis of how these shows reflect on and respond to the attacks by trying to convey emotions to their audiences, and how they react to the collective trauma as a consequence to 9/11. By analyzing the formal characteristics of the three case studies, as described by David Bordwell and Kristin Tho! mpson, an d linking these formal characteristics to the larger post-9/11 context, this thesis gives an overview of the way in which American television shows have dealt with the topic of terrorism in a post-9/11 society.
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Faculteit der Letteren