THE SOPRANOS - ACADEMICS STUDY THE SOPRANOS

TV hit THE SOPRANOS is a cultural phenomenon "equivalent to the Beatles and Shakespeare", according to a group of academics travelling to New York this month to analyse the show.
Professors from 60 countries will descend on Manhattan's Fordham University this month (22-25May08) to dissect the show in a conference entitled The Sopranos: A Wake.
They will examine the show's role in popular culture and the messages it delivers regarding issues such as gender; parenthood; ethnicity; race and racism.
And Paul Levinson, from Fordham University, insists The Sopranos' place in history should not be underestimated.
He says, "The Sopranos is the equivalent of the Beatles, or Shakespeare, of a great piece of fiction which redound through the ages."