Get lit. Local literature, that is, for bookworms on your holiday shopping list.
Lakelands area authors are among those who’ve published new reads recently, just in time for you to wrap up for the page-turners in your life.
Lander psychology professor Jonathan F. Bassett recently released his book, “Death on the Small Screen: The Psychology of Viewing Violent Television,” exploring how death and violence on popular TV series can teach “constructive and destructive” ways humans deal with our own mortality.
A book signing is scheduled 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Sundance Gallery in Greenwood.
“In the first part of the book, I have lots of examples from shows and even movies, laying out theoretical arguments,” Bassett said. “In the middle, each chapter addresses a specific show. I’ve probably spent the last 12 to 15 years writing and presenting about themes of psychology and death and how they are played out in popular culture.”
Bassett explores HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” FX’s “Sons of Anarchy,” Nextflix’s takes on Marvel’s “The Punisher” and “Jessica Jones,” NBC’s “Hannibal” and more.
“They pretty much are extremely violent shows, and most of them are fairly recent and popular,” Bassett said. “... One of the special things about people is our awareness of our own mortality and we invest in cultural narratives that try and offer answers to our questions. I try not to take myself too seriously. At the end of the day, I’m just writing about TV shows, but these are far-reaching and there’s some complex storytelling going on right now, much of which is critically acclaimed.”
Bassett argues in the not-too-distant past, humanity was much more familiar with death and dying, with people dying at home.
“Once people started dying in nursing homes and hospitals and a professional funeral industry began handling the body, fewer people began having real encounters with death,” Bassett said. “What you have is a society that sees death as taboo. ... Television offers a way to explore, in fantasy, a topic that has become mysterious and forbidden. ... I go on to explain how watching violent death in these shows can be a way to reduce our fears.”
However, Bassett said such depictions rarely show the “collateral damage” of death, instead making it “tidy and neat.”
“But, that’s rarely how it works in the real world,” Bassett admits.
More books to consider:
Nutrition, health and wellness coach Donna Toland of Greenwood has written a book to help you reach your New Year’s resolutions and more, “Willfully Rise: The Power to Release What is Holding You Back.”
The paperback is $15.99 and available for pre-order now. It is scheduled for release Dec. 17. It’s available through retailers, including Barnes and Noble.
More titles and local authors include: “How Greenwood Entertained: Menus, Recipes and Society Pages” by John Robert Young, available at McCaslan’s in Greenwood and “Langdon Liberando: An Abbevillian’s Fifty Missions over Southern Europe” by Joe H. Camp Jr., available at major retailers, including Amazon and Abbeville-based sports writer Pat Jordan’s latest, “My Father’s Con: A Memoir” also available on Amazon.
