Jason P. Vest's Books

The Wire, Deadwood, Homicide, and NYPD Blue

Violence is Power

By: Jason P. Vest

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The Wire, Deadwood, Homicide, and NYPD Blue

Violence is Power

By: Jason P. Vest

This book offers the only examination of the television writing of David Milch and David Simon as significant contributions to American culture, literature, and social realism. David Milch and David Simon are two of the most prolific and successful television drama writers in the last 30 years. These talented writers have combined real-world knowledge with wild imaginations and understandings of the human psyche to create riveting shows with realistic environments and storylines. Minch and Simon's writing have resulted in television series that have earned both critical acclaim and millions of viewers. The Wire, Deadwood, Homicide, and NYPD Blue: Violence is Power is the most comprehensive text yet written about Milch and Simon, and documents how television dramas of the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s mirrored American culture with unprecedented sociological accuracy. The author explains how both individuals are not only capable dramatists, but also insightful cultural critics. This book also examines the full range of Milch's and Simon's authorial careers, including Milch's books True Blue: The Real Stories behind NYPD Blue and Deadwood: Tales of the Black Hills and Simon's Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets and The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood.

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Page Count

304

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0313378207

ISBN 13

9780313378201

The Postmodern Humanism of Philip K. Dick

By: Jason P. Vest

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The Postmodern Humanism of Philip K. Dick

By: Jason P. Vest

From his 1952 short story 'Roog' to the novels The Divine Invasion and VALIS, few authors have had as great of an impact in the latter half of the 20th century as Philip K. Dick. In The Postmodern Humanism of Philip K. Dick, Jason Vest explores the work of this prolific, subversive, and mordantly funny science-fiction writer. He examines how Dick adapted the conventions of science fiction and postmodernism to reflect humanist concerns about the difficulties of maintaining identity, agency, and autonomy in the latter half of the 20th century. In addition to an extensive analysis of the novel Now Wait for Last Year, Vest makes intellectually provocative comparisons between Dick and the works of Franz Kafka, Jorge Luis Borges, and Italo Calvino. He offers a detailed examination of Dick's literary relationship to all three authors, illuminating similarities between Dick and Kafka that have not previously been discussed, as well as similarities between Dick and Borges that scholars frequently note but fail to explore in detail. Like Kafka, Borges, and Calvino, Dick employs fantastic, unreal, and visionary fiction to reflect the disruptions, dislocations, and depressing realities of twentieth-century life. By comparing him to these other writers, Vest demonstrates that Dick's fiction is a fascinating barometer of postmodern American life even as it participates in an international tradition of visionary literature.

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Page Count

249

Publisher

Scarecrow Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0810866978

ISBN 13

9780810866973

Spike Lee

Finding the Story and Forcing the Issue

By: Jason P. Vest

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Spike Lee

Finding the Story and Forcing the Issue

By: Jason P. Vest

Spike Lee's journey from guerrilla filmmaker to Hollywood insider is explored in light of his personal background, the cultural influence of his films, and the extensive scholarship his movies have inspired. This insightful study probes the iconic filmmaker's career as a director and shaper of American culture. It not only sheds light on the ways in which Lee's background, influences, and outlook affect his films but also discusses how he participates in, transforms, and transcends the tradition of black American filmmaking. Each chapter offers a critical assessment of at least one, and sometimes multiple, Lee films, examining their production history; their place in Lee's filmography; and their aesthetic, cultural, and historical significance. Readers will come away from this first scholarly assessment of Lee's career and work with a better understanding of his penchant for stirring up controversy about significant social, political, and artistic issues as well as his role as an American artist who provokes his audiences as much as he pacifies them.

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Page Count

384

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0313392277

ISBN 13

9780313392276

Future Imperfect

Philip K. Dick at the Movies

By: Jason P. Vest

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Future Imperfect

Philip K. Dick at the Movies

By: Jason P. Vest

Examines the first eight cinematic adaptations of Dick's fiction in light of their literary sources.

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Page Count

260

Publisher

U of Nebraska Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0803218605

ISBN 13

9780803218604

David Milch

By: Jason Jacobs

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David Milch

By: Jason Jacobs

This book is about the life and work of David Milch, the writer who created NYPD Blue, Deadwood and a number of other important US television dramas. It provides a detailed account of Milch’s journey from academia to the heights of the television industry, locating him within the traditions of achievement in American literature over the past in order to evaluate his contribution to fiction writing. It also draws on behind-the-scenes materials to analyse the significance of NYPD Blue, Deadwood, John From Cincinatti and Luck. Contributing to academic debates in film, television and literary studies on authorship, the book will be of interest to fans of Milch’s work, as well as those engaged with the intersection between literature and popular television.

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Page Count

323

Publisher

Manchester University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1526107090

ISBN 13

9781526107091

Book's by Jason P. Vest

The Wire, Deadwood, Homicide, and NYPD Blue

The Wire, Deadwood, Homicide, and NYPD Blue

The Postmodern Humanism of Philip K. Dick

The Postmodern Humanism of Philip K. Dick

Spike Lee

Spike Lee

Future Imperfect

Future Imperfect

David Milch

David Milch

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