The Beast, the Eunuch, and the Glass-Eyed Child: Television in the '80s

I just pulled my hardcover copy of this down off the shelf and found that it's, if anything, even better than it was in 1990. "The Beast" in the title is Morton Downey, Jr.'s audience. What on earth would he say about Jerry Springer, the natural devolution from Downey? If you haven't read this yet YOU MUST. One of the best books of television criticism ever written. And I'm including "The Glass Teat" in that comparison.

Ron Powers, in the beginning of "The Beast, the Eunuch, and the Glass-Eyed Child", asks why most books about television are so dull. Such an interesting medium (and the medium is often more interesting than the message) deserves interesting writing. Powers delivers with this collection of essays, using bone-dry wit and--well, if not an appreciation, at least attention--to how television functions in our society. Powers served as GQ's TV critic, and frequently invokes the Terkel/Hecht/Royko "Chicago School" of writing, contrasting the vivid prose against the banalities of contemporary television. Sadly, it's rare to find a well-written critical examination of our culture's dominant force. But I really can't do this book justice. Pick up a copy and see what the man has to say. It's a lot more interesting than Jerry Springer.