Theater of the Mind : Imagination, Aesthetics, and American Radio Drama

For generations, fans and critics have characterized classic American radio drama as a “theater of the mind.”This book unpacks that characterization by recasting the radio play as an aesthetic object within its unique historical context. In __Theater of the Mind__, Neil Verma applies an array of critical methods to more than six thousand recordings to produce a vivid new account of radio drama from the Depression to the Cold War. In this sweeping exploration of dramatic conventions, Verma investigates legendary dramas by the likes of Norman Corwin, Lucille Fletcher, and Wyllis Cooper on key programs ranging from __The Columbia Workshop__, __The Mercury Theater on the Air,__ and __Cavalcade of America__ to __Lights Out!__, __Suspense__, and __Dragnet__ to reveal how these programs promoted and evolved a series of models of the imagination. With close readings of individual sound effects and charts of broad trends among formats, Verma not only gives us a new account of the most flourishing form of genre fiction in the mid-twentieth century but also presents a powerful case for the central place of the aesthetics of sound in the history of modern experience. For generations, fans and critics have characterized classic American radio drama as a "theater of the mind." This book unpacks that characterization by recasting the radio play as an aesthetic object within its unique historical context. In Theater of the Mind , Neil Verma applies an array of critical methods to more than six thousand recordings to produce a vivid new account of radio drama from the Depression to the Cold War. In this sweeping exploration of dramatic conventions, Verma investigates legendary dramas by the likes of Norman Corwin, Lucille Fletcher, and Wyllis Cooper on key programs ranging from The Columbia Workshop , The Mercury Theater on the Air, and Cavalcade of America to Lights Out! , Suspense , and Dragnet to reveal how these programs promoted and evolved a series of models of the imagination. With close readings of individual sound effects and charts of broad trends among formats, Verma not only gives us a new account of the most flourishing form of genre fiction in the mid-twentieth century but also presents a powerful case for the central place of the aesthetics of sound in the history of modern experience. In This Work, Neil Verma Applies An Array Of Critical Methods To More Than 6000 Recordings To Produce An Account Of Radio Drama From The Depression To The Cold War. What Is The Theater Of The Mind? -- Radio Aesthetics In The Late Depression, 1937-1945 -- Dramas Of Space And Time -- Producing Perspective In Radio -- Intimate And Kaleidosonic Styles -- Norman Corwin's People's Radio -- Communication And Interiority In 1940s Radio, 1941-1950 -- Honeymoon Shocker -- Dramas Of Susceptibility And Transmission -- Eavesdropper, Ventriloquist, Signalman -- Radio And The Postwar Mood, 1945-1955 -- Later Than You Think? -- Just The Facts -- In Trials -- Coda: Instruction And Excavation -- Guide To Radio Programs. Neil Verma. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. For generations, fans and critics have characterized classic American radio drama as a theater of the mind. This book examines that characterization by recasting the radio play as an aesthetic object within its historical context.