Mad Men et l’art de la mise en perspective

Abstract

The present article offers an analysis of season 1 of Mad Men from the angle of alterity. The objective is to show that the main elements of the series — whether the themes, the temporal frame, the characters, or even their relational dimensions — define themselves as much by what they are as by what they are not. Yet, these references in the negative are sometimes displayed in the series in a relatively explicit manner and sometimes much more obliquely. We will focus on some of these external references to show how they fully contribute to the establishment of networks of meaning in the series. In this way, after several remarks on the design and font of the credits, we will turn to key characters in order to understand how they are defined just as much by their intrinsic qualities (for some, borrowed directly from extra-fictional characters) as by their way of relating to other characters.

Keywords

• Mad Men
• advertising
• history