"Actually, we're pretty normal"

''Six Feet Under'' originally broadcast on the
American cable channel
HBO from 2001 to 2005 is a widely acclaimed, award
winning family
saga. Taking as its starting point the sudden death
of funeral home
owner Nathaniel Fisher, the show explores the wider
family s reaction
to the bereavement and how they continue to cope
with running the
business and their daily lives. This study focuses on
the first three
seasons of the drama and concentrates on three main
thematic areas:
different ways of dealing with grief and how Nate s open attitude to
grieving triumphs; David s struggle with his
sexuality and Brenda s
descent into sexual addiction; and Nate s deluded
marriage to Lisa, as
well as other relationships in the show. What do
these issues have to
say about this particular family? What do they say
about wider
American society? And what do they tell us about
contemporary
television drama and popular culture?

Autorentext

Nick Roden, MA Contemporary Literary Studies, BA EnglishLiterature, Lancaster University, England.

Klappentext

'Six Feet Under' - originally broadcast on theAmerican cable channel HBO from 2001 to 2005 - is a widely acclaimed, awardwinning family saga. Taking as its starting point the sudden deathof funeral home owner Nathaniel Fisher, the show explores the widerfamily's reaction to the bereavement - and how they continue to copewith running the business and their daily lives. This study focuses onthe first three seasons of the drama and concentrates on three mainthematic areas: different ways of dealing with grief and how Nate's'open' attitude to grieving triumphs; David's struggle with hissexuality and Brenda's descent into sexual addiction; and Nate's deludedmarriage to Lisa, as well as other relationships in the show. What dothese issues have to say about this particular family? What do they sayabout wider American society? And what do they tell us aboutcontemporary television drama and popular culture?