Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • one of the best books about visual culture
  • excellent!
  • Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture
  • Review of Chapter Nine
  • Brief on Practices of Looking (with emphasis on Chapter 8)
Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture
Marita Sturken , and Lisa Cartwright
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0198742711

Book Description

This comprehensive and engaging introduction to visual culture provides an overview of a range of theories about how we understand visual media and how we use images to express ourselves, to communicate, to experience pleasure, and to learn. Using over 175 illustrations, Professors Sturken and Cartwright examine how images - paintings, prints, photographs, film, television, video, advertisements, news images, the Internet, digital images, and science images - gain meaning in different cultural arenas, from art and commerce to science and the law, how they travel globally and in distinct cultures, and how they are an integral and important aspect of our lives. These images are analyzed in relation to a range of cultural and representational issues (desire, power, the gaze, bodies, sexuality, ethnicity) and methodologies (semiotics, marxism, psychoanalysis, feminism, postcolonial theory). Practices of Looking provides an explanation of the fundamentals of these theories while presenting visual examples of how they function. Central concepts such as ideology, the concept of the spectator, the role of reproduction in visual culture, the mass media and the public sphere, consumer culture, and postmodernism, among others, are explained in depth and in accessible, informative language. Marita Sturken and Lisa Cartwright provide the best introductory book for students coming to the study of visual culture for the first time. Truly interdisciplinary, this book aims to be the key text for courses across a range of disciplines including media and film studies, art history, photography, and communication media.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars one of the best books about visual culture.......2007-09-21

The authors of this book very clearly articulate the considerable factors of the visual culture in mass media and visual art. Not only the pictures cited in the texts are also quite helpful to better understand the details of description, but also more importantly this book provides knowledgeable contents and information enabling readers to be aware of the significant roles of visual culture and how it is embedded in our lives, influencing the whole culture, society, industry and other many impacts of social forces.

5 out of 5 stars excellent!.......2007-02-26

This is an excellent book for anyone interested in media studies. The language is simple and articulate. The authors provide plenty of visual evidence in each chapter. If you enjoy reading about popular culture, even advertising strategies- this is the book for you.

2 out of 5 stars Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture.......2006-03-25

I actually returned this book after leafing through it. It was a little disappointing and did not have much information other than common sense kind of info. Where was the meat?

4 out of 5 stars Review of Chapter Nine.......2003-09-30

As a class assignment, I closely studied chapter nine of Practices of Looking, and researched several of the listed source materials. This chapter is entitled "The Global Flow of Visual Culture" and deals with the globalization of Western media, primarily in the form of television and the internet. The authors explore such topics as the history of media globalization, its effects on non-western cultures, pros and cons of the internet, and possibilities that new global technologies afford us.
This chapter was well-presented, persuasive, and useful. It offered a cohesive and informative discussion of a broad variety of topics, dealing with each one in satisfactory depth and detail. After researching a few of the listed sources, I found that while some of them seemed to be surplus to the actual chapter content, those that were used were, on the whole, represented accurately and fairly.
I recommend this book to anyone studying visual culture, due to its detailed and informative treatment of this broad and varied topic.

5 out of 5 stars Brief on Practices of Looking (with emphasis on Chapter 8).......2003-04-26

In Practices of Looking, imagery in culture is shown to play on the way we perceive, initiate, and direct ourselves in our daily life. This book, indicates that we rely on imagery to guide us daily. This book explains how imagery is the most relied upon role model of today; basically, due to the fact that it is the most direct measure for a humans consumption of information. It provides input on how imagery sells goods through advertising, how images evoke personal memories, and how images can provide us with scientific data. In Society, Imagery can be found in all areas of the social arena. Influence of imagery is never counted alone in any arena. It is quoted in Practices of Looking "That images are never singular, discrete events, but are informed by a broader set of conditions and factors. The identity of science in correlation with imagery is explained in a wide spectrum of social engagements. Anything in the fine arts, film, television, and advertising, to visual data, can provide insight into the way we see things.

In Practices of Looking, written by Marita Sturken and Lisa Cartwright, mediums of influence and expression for Science and Imagery are identified in Chapter 8, Scientific Looking, Looking at Science. This chapter projects ideas with scientific imagery from the early 19th century to modern day. The chapter opens your eyes to the realization that we are constantly being fed ideas from imaging dealing with any subject matter. Whether the ideas are correct or not, most people today take the information and the images they see very seriously, especially when there are relations to science. Maybe due to the fact that science has proved itself in time, at least this is one opinion written in Practices of Looking; life science is seen as the "truth" and is accepted as objective knowledge due to the fact that doctors have a clearer understanding for the body through their experience. The understanding and the experience of Doctors is covered very thorougly throughout this chapter. It explains how imagery even comes into play in arenas we would never correlate influence from imagery, like (law and medicine). This chapter provides us with archival proof, predictions, perspective for current and past issues, time frames, and also developmental measurements. I found this book to be a great resource for understanding the influence that imagery has upon us in society. It really gives one a great look at the daily impact that imagery plays, and how it effects the publics outlook. I would definately recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about "how art and media plays a role in society".
Looking Awry: An Introduction to Jacques Lacan through Popular Culture (October Books)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Lacanian heresy inside! Beware of being tainted!
  • Perfect - if that's what you want.
  • This book is great; those below who don't like it are clowns
  • Titling awry
  • Looking Awry This Book
Looking Awry: An Introduction to Jacques Lacan through Popular Culture (October Books)
Slavoj Zizek
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 026274015X

Book Description

Slavoj Zizek, a leading intellectual in the new social movements in Eastern Europe, provides a virtuoso reading of the psychoanalytic theory of Jacques Lacan through the works of contemporary popular culture, from horror fiction and detective thrillers to popular romances and Hitchcock films.

Slavoj Zizek is a Researcher in the Institute of Sociology at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. He ran as a proreform candidate for the presidency of the republic of Slovenia, then part of Yugoslavia, in 1990.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Lacanian heresy inside! Beware of being tainted!.......2004-10-05

I am struck by the negative reviews that caution readers: "Zizek is not an orthodox Lacanian! Read him only if you have already understood Lacan!" This is, of course, the typically cultish--really Catholic--approach to Lacan that treats him as a holy text, pre-supposes a series of high priests who have been properly anoited and through whom one must receive the officially sanctioned interpretation. I don't read Zizek for Lacan--I read him for Zizek, and I encourage others to do likewise. *Looking Awry* and *Enjoy Your Symptom* are prehaps the easiest approaches to Zizek and his brand of cultural criticism, as they rely almost entirely on popular culture, especially film. Zizek's perverse (and often dirty) sense of humor and tendency to read against the grain at all costs are apparent on nearly every page, which makes this a very engaging read, indeed. Intellectually, there are some problems with his approach, of course--but Zizek's voice is such a refreshing change of pace, and his constant turn to a reading that you thought was impossible (but turns out to be preversely appealing) makes them all worthwhile.

5 out of 5 stars Perfect - if that's what you want........2004-05-15

That's what I wanted, at least: An illustration of the key Lacanian concepts. What Zizek'bokk gives you, in fact, is the key to reading Lacan.

Lacan's seminar is an unreadable text - if that's your first/second/third etc. time. Lacan, you see, does not make conclusions. To illustrate that:
- You are writing a paper on, let's say, "Gaze". You would like to know what's Lacan's take on gaze. You open "On Gaze as Object a" chapter from "Four Fundamentals".
- you read a paragraph. You do not quite understand what you have read.
- you read the following paragraph. Now, understanding this one is even more difficult, because Lacan is assuming that you have fully understood the previous one. Ok, third paragragh ... Should I continue?
- You either think that this book is non-sense or that you are stupid. Both conclusions are wrong.

As soon as you get the background - Lacan's non-sense makes perfect sense. Zizek give this background in a highly entertaining manner (his writing is a jewel - keeps you thinking "If only I could write like that!"). I am currently doing a PhD in literature, and I have to go through plenty of academic rubbish - dry and actually, useless critical books, that make use of Lacan, Foucault and others to get published and never be read. Zizec is a breath of fresh air.

Please believe me - do not give up on Lacan, do not call him bad names, (like "idiotic nonsense, nobody ever understood him, they were all pretending to understand him because they were afraid to look stupid in the 60s") - before you read Zizec.

5 out of 5 stars This book is great; those below who don't like it are clowns.......2002-09-22

Jacques Lacan's theories are completely, utterly undecipherable. The only way to begin to understand the fundamentals of psychoanalytic theory is to read somebody else writing on Lacan. And thank God Zizek does that for us. To understand Lacan, I've always had to turn to film theory critism--Laura Mulvey--but none of that ever goes beyond theories of the gaze, neglecting to dispell the mystery around some of the most basic concepts of Lacan. Zizek rolls through these various terms and ideas, always providing an exemplification of the idea in popular culture, usually in Hitchcock or within Sci-Fi genres, and then a clear-to-understand definition. So if you're confused as to what desire, drive, lack, objet a, other, Other, the Real, or the Thing are in terms of Lacanian jargon, this might be your book.

4 out of 5 stars Titling awry.......2001-07-08

This book is very interesting but I think it would have been better to call it "An Introduction to Popular Culture trhough Jaques Lacan". This would be a proper title because Zizek dedicates more space to tell us what some products of popular culture are about (i.e. Stephen King's novel "Pet Sematary"; Robert Sheckley's short story "The Store of the Worlds") than to explain, or even outline, the theories of Jaques Lacan. This in itself is not a critique, I just want to say that the title can be misleading. You will not find here an explanation or an introduction to Lacan, but rather a Lacanian reading or interpretation of some products of popular culture (novels, short stories and films.) If you are looking for an easy or brief rendering of Lacan, this book will not be of much help. Moreover, I would say that the readers who will profit the most are those who are already familiar with, or at least know something about, Lacanian thought. This said, I think that Zizek's Lacanian reading of popular works is very good in some cases, and somewhat poor in others. For example, he recalls the novel "Pet Sematary" but he explains almost nothing about it. The good cases, however, make it worth the effort to read the book (Zizek's writing is complicated, but so is Lacan's), and even if you do not agree with some of his points, they are still useful to encourage thought and discussion. If you are interested in the study of popular culture, the interpretation of film and literature, or in the application of Lacanian theory to social analysis, this book will certainly be of use.

3 out of 5 stars Looking Awry This Book.......2000-06-01

This book consists of three parts each of which treats so wide range of topics that there seems to be no logical consistency except Lacanian theory. In the first part, Zizek applys Lacanian theory on reality to various topics such as Zenofs paradox, Shakespearefs gHamleth, Stephen Kingfs gPet Semataryh, and Steven Spielbergfs gEmpire of the Sunh. Then, the second part focuses on Hitchcockfs works and the third part discusses gFantasy, Bureaucracy, Democracyh, however, both parts treat various works in popular culture, too. Actually, Zizek treats Lacanian theory on reality in the first part, on psychoanalysis in the second part, and on gthe Imaginary, the Symbolic, and the Realh in the third part, and the third part arranges the preceding parts. But I feel that this book is about how to analyze popular culture rather than about Lacan. As an introduction to Jacques Lacan, I think this book is too difficult. However, this bookfs style which does not have a logical consistency like an ordinary thesis might be more easy to know Lacanian theory than compactly explaining book with many diagrams.
An Introduction to Theories of Popular Culture
Average customer rating: Not rated
    An Introduction to Theories of Popular Culture
    Domini Strinati
    Manufacturer: Routledge
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    ASIN: 0415235006

    Book Description

    An Introduction to Theories of Popular Culture is widely recognised as an immensely useful textbook for students taking courses in the major theories of popular culture. Dominic Strinati provides a critical assessment of the ways in which theorists have tried to understand and evaluate popular culture in modern societies. Among the theories and ideas the book introduces are mann culture, the Frankfurt School and the culture industry, semiology and structuralism, Marxism, feminism, postmodernism and cultural populism. This new edition provides fresh material on Marxism and feminism, while a new final chapter assesses the significance of the theories explained in the book.

    Cultural Theory And Popular Culture: An Introduction
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • Good Coverage,
    • Excellent and clear introduction--a good foundation
    Cultural Theory And Popular Culture: An Introduction
    John Storey
    Manufacturer: University of Georgia Press
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    4. The Cultural Studies Reader: Second Edition The Cultural Studies Reader: Second Edition
    5. An Introduction to Theories of Popular Culture An Introduction to Theories of Popular Culture

    ASIN: 0820328391

    Product Description

    In this new edition of his widely adopted Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction, John Storey has extensively revised the text throughout. Like previous editions, the book presents a clear and critical survey of competing theories of, and various approaches to, popular culture.


    New to this edition: Extensively revised, rewritten, and updated; Improved and expanded content throughout including a new chapter on psychoanalysis and a new section on post-Marxism and the global postmodern; Closer explicit links to the new edition companion reader Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: A Reader; More illustrative diagrams and images; Fully revised, improved, and updated companion web site.


    Ideal for courses in: cultural studies, media studies, communication studies, sociology of culture, popular culture, visual studies, cultural criticism.

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars Good Coverage, .......2005-11-08

    Very interesting read and served as a great contextualizer. Its coverage is broad, touching upon everything from the British traditions, Structuralism, Marxism, Post-modernism, to discourses on Power, Gender and Sexuality and psychoanalysis in film. Because it's a book ultimately about popular culture, this sort of background seems tolend a refreshingly informed perspective to the subject matter, and Storey does an apt job as well of moving between the analytical underpinnings and their particular applications.

    The first chapter had almost set me completely off the book however, with a rather lumbering attempt at delineating the various definitions of "culture" and "ideology" in a way that seemed to preclude synthesis by assigning the particularly nuances of each major author to completely separate categories.

    I also found Storey's prose slightly uneven in a way that's difficult to describe. A lot of the author's he mentions write with a dense, steady, even flow that can seize a person into a bit of a flow-state, exhaustively touching upon various authors, attacking a problem from numerous perspectives, and slapping you straight into active reading mode -- filling you all the while with a treasure trove of new ideas. Frederic Jameson is a good example of this. As I read Storey, however, I at times felt my right-brain bits either snoozing off a bit or being rudely riled awake by the abrupt cut-off of an idea or concept that I thought could really have used just a sentence or two more. Could it just have been a subtle difference in the rhythms of American and British English?

    In any case, that was just my personal qualm. Worth reading as an intro text for the coverage alone!

    5 out of 5 stars Excellent and clear introduction--a good foundation.......2004-09-27

    When I was a grad student in anthropology, I needed to get up to speed in this field in a hurry. I bought the 1st edition of this book and read it quickly. I was very glad for the background in some basic field of cultural theory and popular culture.

    While no means definitive, and probably debatable on a few points, this is a very effective way to quickly become familiar with the field. I recommend it to undergrads, grad students, and even to neophyte faculty in the field.
    Introduction to Visual Culture
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • What's going on?
    • Superb overview of historical and modern cultural imagery
    Introduction to Visual Culture
    Nichol Mirzoeff
    Manufacturer: Routledge
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    ASIN: 0415158761

    Book Description

    The emerging field of visual culture poses rough terrain for beginners with its nuanced distinctions and reliance on postmodern theory. Not until An Introduction to Visual Culture has any book attempted to present a comprehensive and accessible approach to this exciting new subject.

    Nicholas Mirzoeff begins by defining what visual culture is, and explores how and why visual media--fine art, cinema, the Internet, advertising, performance, photography, television--have become so central to contemporary everyday life. He argues that the visual is replacing the linguistic as our primary means of communicating with each other and of understanding our postmodern world, demonstrating this through powerful examples, from Diana's funeral to the Latina singer Selena, and from the X-Files to Independence Day.

    Mirzoeff then examines the importance of race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, and the body in visual culture. These various forms of social discourse provide essential tools for reading images and thus define the study of visual culture as an inherently political project. Mirzoeff tackles the difficult subject of the gaze and the "other" and offers the reader a clear synthesis of these concepts.

    Lively and provocative, An Introduction to Visual Culture offers an accessible entry to this new way of understanding images.

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars What's going on?.......2000-03-29

    The life we lead today is very different from the one we grew accustomed to twenty, ten, or even five years ago. Information that took centuries to accumulate can now be sent from Singapore to San Antonio at the click of a button. More and more, our digital culture is depending on non-textual imagery to translate this information into a vast collage of cultural messages. It is the study of these images and the culture that interacts with them that Dr. Nicholas Mirzoeff is concerned with in his book An Introduction to Visual Culture (1999, Publisher: Routledge). Much of Mirzoeff's book is dedicated to examining the expansive manner in which the image is playing a role in the development of our global culture. While in the midst of this examination, the reader will soon find him or herself amazed by what the naked eye can now see. From the creation of the x-ray in 1895 to the Hubble telescope's visualization of distant galaxies, our technology creates a culture that has the capacity to, as Mirzoeff writes, "make visible things that our eyes cannot see." What is more, it is not the images themselves that intrigue Mirzoeff the most; rather, he is interested in the manner in which these images create a new reality. Or, as he puts it, "visual culture does not depend on pictures themselves but the modern tendency to picture or visualize existence." As an example, by simply turning on CNN the audience has the capacity to see images from parts of the globe that may have been unknown to them when they awakened in the morning. Not only that, but now the world can see the travesties that occur in these far away places. In Kosovo, the world was alarmed by video feeds of the very young and the very old being forced from their homes in the name of ethnic cleansing. Twenty years ago, this is something most of the world would have only read about. Depending on someone else to visualize the event as he or she saw fit, the textual relay of the event would have seemed distant or even nonexistent to the person who simply chose to quite reading. Today's images not only make Kosovo very close, they make what's happening there very real. It is up to students of visual culture to decide what kind of impact this visualization will have on the formation of the global community. The most important part of this book, however, is the claim Mirzoeff stakes for "visual culture" in the traditional and monotonous universe of academia. It is true that anything new is a threat to everything old. Knowing this, Mirzoeff guides his reader gently into the theory of "visual culture" by showing how it is both a relevant and necessary study in the afore mentioned digital arena. There are, of course, those who will charge that Mirzoeff's interests are cast too broad and his manner of interpreting them too fluid. To this valid concern, Mirzoeff argues that a fluid interpretive structure is paramount if academia wants to understand the world that lies beyond the gates of the university (like Kosovo). Visual Culture, writes Mirzoeff, "hopes to reach beyond the traditional confines of the university to interact with people's every day lives." In other words, visual culture is an attempt to ask a set of questions entirely alien to the modern university. Mirzoeff proves himself quite capable of setting out these new questions while keeping the avenue wide open for the reader or the "viewer" to answer them.

    5 out of 5 stars Superb overview of historical and modern cultural imagery.......1999-11-02

    This is a fascinating reader that will appeal to the novice and academic alike - providing a broad overview of how vision has come to dominate all of our senses. No one way of seeing is ever accepted and this book demonstrates how history and convention has altered the way we look at the world. From perspective in the Renaissance world to sculpture, painting, TV, the internet, to issues of race, gender and sexuality and even to the global visual impact of the death of Princess Diana - this book will inform and open your eyes in ways you couldn't imagine.
    Popular Music in Theory: An Introduction (Music/Culture)
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Popular Music in Theory: An Introduction (Music/Culture)
      Keith Negus
      Manufacturer: Wesleyan
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback

      CommunicationsCommunications | Skills | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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      ASIN: 0819563102

      Book Description

      Popular Music in Theory is an original introduction to the key theoretical issues which arise in the study of contemporary popular music. It is organized in a way that shows how popular music is created across a series of relationships that link together industry and audiences, producers and consumers. Starting from the dichotomy between production and consumption which characterizes much work on popular culture, Keith Negus explores the equally significant social processes that intervene between and across the production-consumption divide, and examines how popular music is mediated by technological, cultural, historical, geographical, and political factors. This broad framework provides signposts to various tracks taken by sounds and images, and also highlights distinctive theoretical routes into the study of contemporary popular music. Although intended mainly for students in sociology, media and communication studies, and cultural studies, the book will also give others a deeper understanding of popular music.
      Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction
        John Storey
        Manufacturer: Pearson Prentice Hall
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Hardcover

        CulturalCultural | Anthropology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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        ASIN: 0131970682
        Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: A Reader
        Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
        • A very helpful resource
        Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: A Reader

        Manufacturer: University of Georgia Press
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback

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        Popular CulturePopular Culture | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
        CulturalCultural | Anthropology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
        GeneralGeneral | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
        GeneralGeneral | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
        Social TheorySocial Theory | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
        CultureCulture | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
        Civilization & CultureCivilization & Culture | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books
        Similar Items:
        1. Cultural Theory And Popular Culture: An Introduction Cultural Theory And Popular Culture: An Introduction
        2. Cultural Studies and the Study of Popular Culture: Theories and Methods Cultural Studies and the Study of Popular Culture: Theories and Methods
        3. An Introduction to Theories of Popular Culture An Introduction to Theories of Popular Culture
        4. An Introduction to Cultural Theory and Popular Culture An Introduction to Cultural Theory and Popular Culture
        5. The Cultural Studies Reader: Second Edition The Cultural Studies Reader: Second Edition

        ASIN: 0820320064

        Customer Reviews:

        4 out of 5 stars A very helpful resource.......2000-07-30

        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.
        An Introduction to Cultural Theory and Popular Culture
        Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
        • nice introduction to a maddeningly diverse topic
        • Poor Writing and Filled with Opinion
        • Introducing the competing theories of Popular Culture
        An Introduction to Cultural Theory and Popular Culture
        John Storey
        Manufacturer: University of Georgia Press
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback

        Popular CulturePopular Culture | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
        GeneralGeneral | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
        Social TheorySocial Theory | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
        CultureCulture | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
        Civilization & CultureCivilization & Culture | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books
        Similar Items:
        1. Cultural Theory and Popular Culture : A Reader Cultural Theory and Popular Culture : A Reader
        2. Cultural Studies and the Study of Popular Culture: Theories and Methods Cultural Studies and the Study of Popular Culture: Theories and Methods
        3. Mythologies Mythologies
        4. Understanding Popular Culture Understanding Popular Culture
        5. Decoding Advertisements (Ideas in Progress) Decoding Advertisements (Ideas in Progress)

        ASIN: 0820319600

        Customer Reviews:

        5 out of 5 stars nice introduction to a maddeningly diverse topic.......2003-01-17

        I'd just like to comment on the previous reviewer's comments -- it's true that Storey doesn't keep his opinions secret, but I think his presentation of the various theories is extremely lucid, even when he goes on to smash them to pieces (which only happens in a few cases anyway, in the chapter on Matthew Arnold and the Leavises, and in the last part on the academic debates).
        This book is a clear and useful introduction to the subject from a pro-popcular culture perspective. However, if you already have some idea about structuralism, postmodernism, the Frankfurt School etc., it's probably best to skip it and get the accompanying Reader which gives much more depth (and primary literture instead of pre-digested comments). Otherwise start with the Introduction and move on to the Reader.

        1 out of 5 stars Poor Writing and Filled with Opinion.......2002-03-01

        I recently read the book and I felt that it lacked in clarity and was not well written. Although the topics found in the book provide a good introduction to cultural theory. This text is used as a college text at my school and I am not the only one to complain. The author also seems to have many strong opinions that take away from the professional quality, and they really have no place in an introductory book.

        5 out of 5 stars Introducing the competing theories of Popular Culture.......2001-11-14

        John Storey, a senior lecturer in Cultural Studies at the University of Sutherland in England, gives you a couple of fundamental options in terms of introductory textbooks for a Popular Culture class. Whereas his "Cultural Studies and the Study of Popular Culture: Theories and Methods" is organized by artifacts (television, fiction, films, etc.), "An Introduction to Cultural Theory and Popular Culture" is organized by competing theories (structuralism, Marxism, Postmodernism, etc.). Consequently, there is considerably more depth in regards to theoretical approaches to the study of Popular Culture, all of which are supported by a wide variety of first-rate examples drawn from the real world. Storey also takes great pains to lay out the various schools for each theoretical approach: e.g, the Classical Marxists, the Frankfurt School, the Althusserians and Neo-Gramscian cultural studies. Both his first chapter on the definitional issues of Popular Culture and his final chapter on "The politics of the popular" provide the contexts in which all of this theoretical material matters.

        The second edition of this text includes new sections on popular culture and the carnivalesque, and on postmodernism and the pluralism of value. Five of the original sections have been expanded to include material on neo-Gramscian cultural studies, popular film, cine-psychoanalysis and cultural studies, feminism a reading, postermodernism in the 1960s, and the cultural field. Equally important, Storey has updated the examples drawn from popular culture texts. While this is an introductory text, I think it clearly is aimed at a more sophisticated student than Storey's other value. Additionally, the 2nd edition of Storey's "Cultural Theory & Popular Culture: A Reader" is specifically intended as a companion volume for THIS textbook, which was the winner of the Ray and Pat Browne Award of the Popular Culture Association. Whichever way you decide to go in terms of selecting a primary textbook for your Popular Culture class, having the other volumes is of definite value.
        Women, Power and Resistance: An Introduction to Women's Studies
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Women, Power and Resistance: An Introduction to Women's Studies

          Manufacturer: Open University Press
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Paperback

          GeneralGeneral | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
          CultureCulture | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
          Feminist TheoryFeminist Theory | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
          ASIN: 0335193900

          Books:

          1. Public Speaking: An Audience-Centered Approach (6th Edition) (MySpeechLab Series)
          2. Schumacher: The Official Inside Story of the Formula One Icon
          3. Secrecy and Liberty:National Security, Freedom of Expression and Access to Information (International Studies in Human Rights)
          4. Selections from the Prison Notebooks
          5. SIGN with your BABY Complete Learning Kit: US DVD Version, Book, Training Video (DVD), Quick Reference Guide
          6. Simple Chinese Cooking
          7. Situational Analysis: Grounded Theory After the Postmodern Turn
          8. Spirit of the Harvest: North American Indian Cooking
          9. Synthetic Worlds: The Business and Culture of Online Games
          10. The Address Directory of Celebrities in Entertainment, Sports, Business & Politics, Second Edition

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