Keywords

Reality TV, Shakespeare, New Media

Abstract

Reality TV is a genre that slowly taking over the networks. The American audience has been enthralled with the new found ability to peering into the lives of seemingly normal, everyday people placed in fantastic and unusual circumstances. Today the genre has grown to include various subcategories of reality TV that bring in upwards of 20 million viewers a night. However, despite this undeniable attraction America seems to have with reality television, critics and viewers alike have managed to find great fault within the genre referring to it as "trash", arguing that it brings no "intellectualism" or "stimulating" material to our culture and creating environment in which those who actually enjoy the genre are seen as lacking "intellectualism" themselves. By focusing so greatly on these negative aspects, critics are missing the amount of effort that goes into producing and editing the story behind reality TV. If we change up the lens in which we examine the process behind reality TV, comparing it to the world's greatest storyteller, Shakespeare, we are able to pull back the curtain and appreciate reality TV for what it really is: story telling.

Description

Intensive reading, discussion, and (in some sections) viewing of plays from the comedy, tragedy, romance, and history genres.