The Satirical Newspaper the Onion Once Ran a Story with the Headline

question 130

Essay

The satirical newspaper The Onion once ran a story with the headline "Man Reading Pynchon on Bus Takes Pains to Make Cover Visible." The story went on to describe a bus passenger who was reading a book by the critically acclaimed, but difficult and confusing, author Thomas Pynchon. Instead of holding the book on his lap, he held it directly in front of his face so that the cover was visible to everyone and occasionally glanced around to see if anyone noticed. What would Erving Goffman say about this?

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Definitions:

Melodrama

A dramatic genre emphasizing exaggerated emotions, stereotypical characters, and interpersonal conflicts, often appealing to the audience's sense of sympathy and moral virtue.

Production Code

A set of industry moral guidelines that was applied to most United States motion pictures released by major studios from 1934 to 1968.

First Amendment

This is the amendment to the United States Constitution that guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition.

Human Frailty

The limitations and weaknesses inherent to the human condition, often explored in literature, film, and art.