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

[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.