Columbo (Paperback)

Christyne Berzsenyi

ISBN 10: 1789383250 / ISBN 13: 9781789383256

Published by Intellect, Bristol, 2021

Paperback. An analysis of the hit television series Columbo and the investigative methods of its eponymous main character. In the iconic detective show, which aired from 1968 to 2003, Lieutenant Columbo was known for his Socratic method of rhetorical inquiry. Feigning ignorance and employing a barrage of questions about minute details, the detective enacts a persona of antipotency, or counter authoritativeness, to affect the villains' underestimation of his attention to inconsistencies, abductive reasoning, and rhetorical efficacy. In his predominantly dialogue-based investigations, Columbo exhausts his suspects by asking a battery of questions concerning all minor details of the casean aggravating, tedious provocation for the killer trying to maintain innocence. In this engaging interdisciplinary study, Christyne Berzsenyi explores the character and his influences, dissects his methods of investigation, and assesses the shows enduring legacy in academia and popular culture. While critical and theoretical, the text is also accessible to interdisciplinary readers, practical in application, and amusing for Columbo buffs. An analysis of the hit television series Columbo specifically looking at the famous detectives investigative method of rhetorical enquiry. Through a barrage of questions about tiny details and by feigning ignorance, Columbo employs Socratic method of questioning based on temperance and restraint to discover truths from guest star murderers. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9781789383256

Synopsis:

An analysis of the hit television series Columbo and the investigative methods of its eponymous main character.

In the iconic detective show, which aired from 1968 to 2003, Lieutenant Columbo was known for his Socratic method of rhetorical inquiry. Feigning ignorance and employing a barrage of questions about minute details, the detective enacts a persona of “antipotency,” or counter authoritativeness, to affect the villains' underestimation of his attention to inconsistencies, abductive reasoning, and rhetorical efficacy. In his predominantly dialogue-based investigations, Columbo exhausts his suspects by asking a battery of questions concerning all minor details of the case—an aggravating, tedious provocation for the killer trying to maintain innocence.

In this engaging interdisciplinary study, Christyne Berzsenyi explores the character and his influences, dissects his methods of investigation, and assesses the show’s enduring legacy in academia and popular culture. While critical and theoretical, the text is also accessible to interdisciplinary readers, practical in application, and amusing for Columbo buffs.

About the Author: Christyne Berzsenyi is associate professor of English at Penn State Wilkes-Barre.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Columbo (Paperback)
Publisher: Intellect, Bristol
Publication Date: 2021
Binding: Paperback
Condition: new