The Living Image: Biographical Narratives in Presidential Campaigns

The purpose of this study is to highlight recurrent features in US presidential advertising campaigns, with a particular focus on TV electoral commercials and autobiographical films used at national conventions to extol the nominee's virtues and boost his popularity. The typical generic structure of presidential candidates' campaign stories, greatly exploiting family- life narratives and national myths, will be examined both in TV adverts and political films for their relevance to individual and collective self-representation