Literature, Popular Culture and Society

Leo Löwenthal, one of the leading thinkers of the Frankfurt School, examines the development of literary arts and mass media in the West within a sociological framework. It explains with examples how the public's and intellectuals' approach to literary works changed from the time of Descartes and Pascal until the twentieth century, and points out the social implications of this change.

Is literature art or commodity? Can it be both? How did the emergence of newspapers and magazines (and later radio and television) affect the quality of literary works and their place in society? Do mass media push people into passivity? How have the definitions of “high” and “ordinary” art/literature changed from past to present? What impact has it had on literary works that writers are now dependent on the public, bookstores, and publishing houses rather than wealthy “patrons”? When did the phrase “popular writer” begin to be used in a derogatory sense? What do the qualities of “bestselling” books tell us about the literary taste of the masses? What does the literary taste of the masses tell us about the zeitgeist? Does popular culture lower society's aesthetic and moral standards?

While answering these and similar questions, Löwenthal's work, which highlights his identity as a sociologist, sometimes a critic, and sometimes a historian (and often makes use of all of them), is a valuable source for all three fields.

(From the Promotional Bulletin)

Prepared for Publication by: Özde Duygu Gürkan

Dough Type: 2nd Dough

Size: 13 x 19.5

First Print Year: 2017

Number of Printings: 1st Edition

Number of Pages: 248

Media Type: Paperback

Original Name: Literature, Popular Culture, and Society