Cultural Theory and Popular Culture : A Reader [Paperback]

John Storey (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0820322768 | ISBN-13: 978-0820322766 | Publication Date: March 1998 | Edition: Second Edition

Whether used on its own or in conjunction with Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction, this reader is a theoretical, analytical, and historical introduction to the study of popular culture within cultural studies. The readings cover the culture and civilization tradition, culturalism, structuralism and poststructuralism, Marxism, feminism, and postmodernism, as well as current debates in the study of popular culture.

New to this edition:

• Four new readings by Stuart Hall, Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe, Judith Butler, and Savoj Žižek
• Fully revised general and section introductions that contextualize and link the readings with key issues in Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction
• Fully updated bibliography

Ideal for courses in:

• cultural studies
• media studies
• communication studies
• sociology of culture
• popular culture
• visual studies
• cultural criticism

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Storey is a professor of cultural studies and director of the Centre for Research in Media and Cultural Studies, University of Sunderland, England. He is also a visiting professor at the universities of Henan and Wuhan in China. Storey has published widely in cultural studies; his six books include Cultural Studies and the Study of Popular Culture (Georgia). His work has been translated into Chinese, German, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Spanish, Swedish, and Ukrainian.

Product Details

• Paperback: 664 pages
• Publisher: University of Georgia Press; Second Edition edition (March 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0820322768
• ISBN-13: 978-0820322766
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,401,376 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very helpful resource, July 29, 2000

By 

mrgrieves08 (tucson) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: A Reader (Paperback)

This volume is an excellent introduction to some of the most important trends of 20th century literary and cultural studies. Beginning with an excerpt from Matthew Arnold's "Culture and Anarchy", Storey takes the reader on an informative tour of some of the most important literary and cultural theorists of the past 150 years.

CT&PC also represents a remarkably broad survey considering the amount of subject matter included. In this informative and balanced edition there are chapters on Culturalism, Structualism and Poststructuralism, Marxism, Feminism, Postmodernism and The Politics of the Popular, in which he attempts to illustrate the newest theoretical trends, and where they may be heading in the future.

The way the book progresses is very helpful in allowing the reader to see just how different perspectives in theory are interconnected. Storey's edition gives the reader enough articles to gain some real understanding, without overwhelming one that may not be familiar with a particular theoretical perspective. The articles chosen generally range from 10 to 20 pages, and are tightly focused and helpful in giving a short, but rich intro. to the given theoretical perspective that they are represenative of.

This book is a great guidebook for anyone intertested in the latest trends in literary and cultural theory, along with the so-called culture wars. The only drawbacks to this book is that a few of the articles take excerpts from a long work and then put them together in a way that makes them confusing and difficult to undertsatand. And secondly, although there are notes to each article, more are needed, especially in the area of terminology and background information. Besides these minor quibbles this is an excellent collection of articles; a great resource for the student, professor, or anyone else interested in literary and cultural theory.