Apocalypse Postponed

by Eco, Umberto; Lumley, Robert

• ISBN13: 9780253318510
• ISBN10: 0253318513
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1994-05-01
• Publisher: Indiana Univ Pr

Summary

An erudite and witty collection of Umberto Eco's essays on mass culture from the 1960s through the 1980s, including major pieces which have not been translated into English before. The discussion is framed by opposing characterizations of current intellectuals as apocalyptic and opposed to all mass culture, or as integrated intellectuals, so much a part of mass culture as to be unaware of serving it.
Organized in four main parts, "Mass Culture: Apocalypse Postponed," "Mass Media and the Limits of Communication," "The Rise and Fall of Counter-Cultures," and "In Search of Italian Genius," Eco looks at a variety of topics and cultural productions, including the world of Charlie Brown, distinctions between highbrow and lowbrow, the future of literacy, Chinese comic strips, whether countercultures exist, Fellini's Ginger and Fred, and the Italian genius industry.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction	p. 1
Mass Culture: Apocalypse Postponed
Apocalyptic and Integrated Intellectuals: Mass communications and theories of mass culture	p. 17
The World of Charlie Brown	p. 36
Reactions of Apocalyptic and Integrated Intellectuals: Then (1964)	p. 45
Reactions of the Author: Now (1974 and 1977)	p. 51
Orwell, or Concerning Visionary Power	p. 58
The Future of Literacy	p. 64
Mass Media and the Limits of Communication
Political Language: The use and abuse of rhetoric	p. 75
Does the Audience have Bad Effects on Television?	p. 87
Event as Mise en scene and Life as Scene-setting	p. 103
The Phantom of Neo-TV: The debate on Fellini's Ginger and Fred	p. 108
The Rise and Fall of Counter-cultures
Does Counter-culture Exist?	p. 115
The New Forms of Expression	p. 129
On Chinese Comic Strips: Counter-information and alternative information	p. 148
Independent Radio in Italy	p. 167
Striking at the Heart of the State?	p. 177
In Search of Italian Genius
Phenomena of This Sort Must Also be Included In Any Panorama of Italian Design	p. 185
A Dollar for a Deputy: La Cicciolina	p. 196
For Grace Received	p. 200
The Italian Genius Industry	p. 211
Index	p. 225
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