Audience studies

[rivkat]

So, I've got a colleague writing about images of lawyers in popular culture, only she wants to get beyond "images of" and into how various groups perceive lawyers in TV shows/movies. Is anyone aware of any work on this? Reception studies involving Ally McBeal or LA Law? Even if there's only a mention of reaction to a legal storyline in a larger study of a non-legal show or movie, that would be a huge addition to the project -- because right now she's got theory and no practice. No pun intended.

Also, if anyone knew of a good place to go for a recent reception studies bibliography, that would be great.

Comments

[ex-ajhalluk585.livejournal.com]

I've no sensible ideas, except that if she manages to write the entire paper and refrain from using the line "First thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers" or variations on the same I will buy her a bottle of champagne.

Also that she needs to study Rumpole, because some characters there are understood int he English legal community to be so close to original people almost to make it a roman a clef - for example, that Ken Cracknell in Rumpole's Return is a recognisable (and still practising) member fo the IP bar.

[rivkat.livejournal.com]

Oh, she hasn't used that line. Along with "a custom honored more in the breach," it's got to be one of the top misinterpreted Shakespeare lines.

I had no idea about Rumpole -- the thing is, she's got plenty in there about what she thinks pop culture teaches nonlawyers about law; I'm trying to prod her to connect that up with her more theoretical portions of the paper by examining what nonlawyers think pop culture has taught them about law.