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The Myth of Popular Culture from Dante to Dylan is a fascinating examination of the cultural traditions of the American novel, Hollywood, and British and American rock music which leads us to redefine our concept of the division between "high" and "low" culture.
* A stimulating history of high and low culture from Dante Alighieri to Bob Dylan, providing a controversial defence of popular culture
* Seeks to rebut the durable belief that only high culture is 'dialectical' and popular culture is not by turning Theodor Adorno's theories on 'pop' against themselves
* Presents a critical analysis of three popular traditions: the American novel, Hollywood, and British and American rock music
* Offers an original account of Bob Dylan as an example of how the distinction between high and low culture is highly problematic
* A provocative book for any student, scholar or general reader, who is interested in popular culture
List of contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Part I: "The Battle of the Brows"
Part II: Dialectics of Pop
Part III: The World of Bob Dylan
Works Cited
About the author
Perry Meisel is Professor of English at New York University. His books include The Myth of the Modern (1987), The Cowboy and the Dandy (1999), and The Literary Freud (2007). He has also written widely for publications that include The Village Voice, The New York Times, Partisan Review, and October.
Summary
In this fascinating examination of popular culture, esteemed cultural critic Perry Meisel shatters conventionally held notions about the division between 'high' and 'low' culture with the provocative theory that popular culture has a sustained dialectical rhythm.
