The Cognitive Impact of Contemporary Television Series

Abstract

Television serial fiction is one of the most popular cultural products around the world today, and there is much indirect evidence that its stories influence the understanding of those who watch and enjoy it. All the chapters gathered in this collection address the idea that the specific aesthetic and narrative properties of television seriality contribute to distinct ways of conveying cognitive impact in a broad sense: from content learning, to reflection on social and philosophical issues, to character engagement and emotional reactions. The Cognitive Impact of Contemporary Television Series goes through some of the thematic constants of the last decade of television seriality, such as dystopia, coming-of-age or metaphysical drama, making panoramic views and delving into specific case studies, like The Purge, The End of the F***ing World and Undone, among many others. This book will be of interest to graduate students and scholars working in television studies, as well as in film studies, cognitive media theory, media psychology, and aesthetics.