A History of Popular Culture
This lively and informative survey provides a thematic global history of popular culture focusing on the period since the end of the Second World War. Raymond Betts considers the rapid diffusion and 'hybridization' of popular culture as the result of instantaneous communications, widespread consumption in a market-based economy and the visualization of reality.Betts considers the dominance of American entertainment media and habits of consumption, assessing adaptation and negative reactions to this influence. The author surveys a wide range of topics, including:* the emergence and conditions of modern popular culture* the effects of global conflict* the phenomenon and effects of urbanization* the changing demography of the political arena and the work place* the development of contemporary music culture* film, television and visual experience* the growth of sport as a commercial enterprise.Directed at students concerned with the dimensions and forms of popular culture, the book provides an engaging introduction to this pervasive and ever-changing subject.
Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Nonfiction, Fiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.
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What the reading experience may hold
A fuller profile for choosing with more confidence—not just another copy of the preview.
Nonfiction · Fiction
Use these as starting points rather than limits; the most memorable books often stretch beyond their catalog labels.
Catalog signals suggest warfare and conflict. These notes may not be complete; consult a publisher or reader-supplied guide when detailed warnings matter.
These notes are inferred from available catalog information and may not be complete. Check a publisher or reader-supplied guide if you need comprehensive warnings.
Dark tone · Urgent pace
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A good fit if…
Readers who want a thoughtful experience and enjoy noticing the connections beneath a book’s surface story.
This book's DNA
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Spoiler-Free Emotional Arc
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A quick reading snapshot
Edition facts and catalog signals to help you decide whether this book fits what you want to read next.
- ISBN-13
- 978-0-2036-4465-2
- Language
- English
- Edition record
- OL24277688M
A more thoughtful way into this book
This guide uses the edition details and category signals above to help you choose deliberately. It does not replace the author's work or a full review.
Preview the edition to decide how it fits your available reading time.
Begin with its place in Nonfiction, then notice where the book resists that label.
Read for connection, not completion.
Mark one passage that sharpens the book's central concern and one that complicates it. That tension often reveals more than a quick summary.
Three questions to carry with you
- Whose perspective organizes the story, and whose perspective remains outside it?
- Which sources or lived experiences carry the author’s central argument?
- How does the book change the way you understand its larger subject?
Editorial framework by Wesley Bryan, BookenDeX Founder and Editor.
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