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Popular Culture: An Introductory Text
Popular Culture: An Introductory Text provides the means for a new examination of the different faces of the American character in both its historical and contemporary identities. The text is highlighted by a series of extensive introductions to various categories of popular culture and by essays that demonstrate how the methods discussed in the introductions can be applied. This volume is an exciting beginning for the study of the materials of everyday life that define our culture and confirm our individual senses of identity.
- GenresNonfiction
516 pages, Paperback
First published June 15, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 1, 2019
Pop culture is a reflection of—and, to a lesser extent, an impetus forward for—the culture that produced it. So goes the argument from spearheading pop culture professors Jack Nachbar and Kevin Lause, and they do a pretty great job explaining how the sea of pop culture that surrounds us at all times emphasizes the cultural beliefs that are most important to us.
Considering how many people refuse to pick up books anymore (I'm mostly thinking of my students and my personal friend group here), this approach of teasing out underlying cultural assumptions through movies and comics seems far more engaging to me than forcing Thorstein Veblen into a conversation. I could almost see the most hardened of book haters getting interested in the changing nature of the western genre or the near ubiquity of nineteenth century Currier and Ives prints.
For my money, the discussion of how Richard Hofstadter's ideas of anti-intellectualism come through in the original Star Trek series was the most fascinating. Spock represents the European intellectual who deals only with theories. McCoy represents the humanitarian, solely focused on emotions. Captain Kirk, however, applies all of his book learning into pragmatic solutions that take into account the humanity of the situation and, thus, represents the true American hero.
While I didn't mind discussions of older forms of pop culture like this, there are times when the anthology shows its age. In the first place, it spends a considerable amount of time defending the notion of pop culture studies, making it clear this came out in the middle of the culture wars period when Allan Bloom was decrying everything that wasn't Shakespeare or classical music. In other places, the information was just clearly dated. It's hard to take an article seriously when it dares to wonder what significance the cordless phone will bring us in the future.
Even if not every article is a winner, there is surely something in here for everyone to provoke entertainment and reflection.
Considering how many people refuse to pick up books anymore (I'm mostly thinking of my students and my personal friend group here), this approach of teasing out underlying cultural assumptions through movies and comics seems far more engaging to me than forcing Thorstein Veblen into a conversation. I could almost see the most hardened of book haters getting interested in the changing nature of the western genre or the near ubiquity of nineteenth century Currier and Ives prints.
For my money, the discussion of how Richard Hofstadter's ideas of anti-intellectualism come through in the original Star Trek series was the most fascinating. Spock represents the European intellectual who deals only with theories. McCoy represents the humanitarian, solely focused on emotions. Captain Kirk, however, applies all of his book learning into pragmatic solutions that take into account the humanity of the situation and, thus, represents the true American hero.
While I didn't mind discussions of older forms of pop culture like this, there are times when the anthology shows its age. In the first place, it spends a considerable amount of time defending the notion of pop culture studies, making it clear this came out in the middle of the culture wars period when Allan Bloom was decrying everything that wasn't Shakespeare or classical music. In other places, the information was just clearly dated. It's hard to take an article seriously when it dares to wonder what significance the cordless phone will bring us in the future.
Even if not every article is a winner, there is surely something in here for everyone to provoke entertainment and reflection.
May 25, 2007
One of my favorite high school texts.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews