Popular Culture and High Culture

by Gans, Herbert J.

• ISBN13: 9780465026098
• ISBN10: 0465026095
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-09-24
• Publisher: INGRAM

Summary

IsNYPD Bluea less valid form of artistic expression than a Shakespearean drama? Who is to judge and by what standards?In this new edition of Herbert Gans's brilliantly conceived and clearly argued landmark work, he builds on his critique of the universality of high cultural standards. While conceding that popular and high culture have converged to some extent over the twenty-five years since he wrote the book, Gans holds that the choices of typical Ivy League graduates, not to mention Ph.D.'s in literature, are still very different from those of high school graduates, as are the movie houses, television channels, museums, and other cultural institutions they frequent.This new edition benefits greatly from Gans's discussion of the "politicization" of culture over the last quarter-century.Popular Culture and High Cultureis a must read for anyone interested in the vicissitudes of taste in American society.

Author Biography

Herbert J. Gans, author of Levittowners and The Urban Villagers, is professor of sociology at Columbia University and the former president of the American Sociological Association.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Revised and Updated Edition	vii
Preface	xi
New Introduction
The Popular Culture--High Culture Distinction: Still Relevant?	1	(210)
Some Definitions	5	(3)
The Distinction Updated	8	(5)
Of Supply and Demand Sides	13	(4)
The Demand Side	17	(5)
New Media	22	(5)
The Critique of Mass Culture	27	(62)
Popular Culture's Defects As a Commercial Enterprise	30	(8)
Popular Culture's Danger to High Culture	38	(3)
Popular Culture's Impact on Its Audience	41	(14)
Popular Culture's Harmfulness to Society	55	(9)
The Sources and Biases of the Mass Culture Critique	64	(13)
Postscript	77	(12)
A Comparative Analysis of High and Popular Culture	89	(72)
Taste Cultures and Publics	94	(6)
The Five Taste Publics and Cultures	100	(20)
``Youth,'' Black, and Ethnic Cultures	120	(10)
The Social Structure of Taste Publics and Cultures	130	(16)
Postscript	146	(15)
The Evaluation of Taste Cultures and Publics	161	(50)
Two Value Judgments about Taste Cultures and Publics	167	(4)
Cultural Mobility	171	(4)
Cultural Pluralism and Subcultural Programming	175	(3)
The Pros and Cons of Subcultural Programming	178	(12)
Implementing Subcultural Programming	190	(10)
The Outlook for More Cultural Pluralism	200	(4)
Postscript	204	(7)
Notes	211	(24)
Index	235