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Mr. Monk and the Emotion-Reason Dilemma

Research & Scholarship: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) belongs to a tradition of brilliant but personally flawed detectives. Like others in this tradition, including his television colleague, Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie), Monk’s genius resides in his exceptional, even excessive, rationality. Both Monk and House embody near-perfect detection or diagnostic skills. And, in both cases, the cause of their damaged personalities is excessive emotionality, represented by their respective emotional disorders. In their internal dynamics, emotion is almost always the ‘problem,’ and both shows suggest that troubled emotionality is the price Monk and House must pay for their intense brilliance.

Original languageAmerican English
Title of host publicationMr. Monk and Philosophy: The Curious Case of the Defective Detective
EditorsD.E. Wittkower
PublisherOpen Court
ISBN (Print)978-0-8126-9674-5
StatePublished - Jan 1 2010

Keywords

  • Mr. Monk
  • emotion reason dilemma
  • Dr. House
  • dragnet
  • medical television
  • police serial
  • serial television

Disciplines

  • Communication
  • Film and Media Studies
  • Social and Behavioral Sciences

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