Regarding The Sopranos now being subject to “serious” academic scrutiny, as was mentioned on this blog a few days ago, let’s not forget William Buckley’s judgment that this perverse and nihilistic piece of popular culture “is most interesting in its confirmation of the psychological depravity of the viewing audience.” As for conferences being held and papers being delivered on the series, this is just another sign of the lowering of academic and intellectual standards and the obscuring of the lines between popular and high culture.

Enjoying something privately is one thing — this was called a “guilty pleasure” back when we still believed in guilt — but trying to present it as a superb work of art and a second coming in the world of the imagination, as fans and critics often did, is another and more damaging thing.