Cultural passions : fans, aesthetes and tarot readers / Elizabeth Wilson.
By: Wilson, Elizabeth
Publisher: London ; New York : I.B. Tauris, [2013]Copyright date: ©2013Description: 1 online resource (232 pages) : illustrationsContent type: text Media type: computer Carrier type: online resource001: 44867ISBN: 9780857722188 (e-book)Subject(s): Culture | AestheticsGenre/Form: Electronic books.Additional physical formats: Print version:: Cultural passions : fans, aesthetes and tarot readers.DDC classification: 306 LOC classification: HM621 | .W55 2013Online resources: Click to View | Item type | Current library | Collection | Call number | Copy number | Status | Date due | Barcode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| eBooks | MAIN LIBRARY Electronic Books | ONLINE | 306 23 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) | 1 | Available | 44867-1001 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
Elizabeth Wilson is one of our most radical cultural critics. In "Cultural Passions" she transcends the division between 'high' and 'low' culture, exploring the emotional commitment people bring to the books, performances, objects and rituals in which they find meaning and challenging an enduring suspicion of the pleasure of the aesthetic. Ranging from Marcel Proust to tarot readings, from urban planning to interiors, Elizabeth Wilson investigates an underlying Puritanism in critical commentary on matters as wide ranging as Roger Federer and C S Lewis, Surrealism and fashion and the relationship of religion to fan culture. She questions why pleasure appears suspect, even as consumer society incites it and turns life into entertainment. She questions why there is such fear of elitism when at the same time the fans of mass culture are held in contempt. Subverting conventional views, her oblique point of view provides startling insights on both familiar and marginal cultural experiences.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 207-215) and index.
Part 1: Cultural diseases. Introduction ; Pleasure's dangers ; Looking backwards: Nostalgia mode. -- Part 2: Fashion. Magic fashion ; Glamour: The secret behind the sheen ; Dressed to kill ; Camouflage and its vicissitudes ; Fashion and memory ; Urbane fashion. -- Part 3: The future we have lost. Austerity in retrospect: The glamour of masochism ; Post-war perverts ; Bethnal green. -- Part 4: Magic moments. Modern magic ; 'Disoriented agnosticism': Reading the Tarot ; Secret worlds ; Temporary gods ; Conclusion.
Description based on print version record.
Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest, 2015. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest affiliated libraries.
Reviews provided by Syndetics
CHOICE Review
Nearly everyone is a fan of something--sport, music, books, politics, art, and so on. Wilson (visiting professor, cultural studies, London College of Fashion, UK) expounds on the underlying mechanisms of passion and commitment displayed by fans. Her exploration into fandom relies largely on philosophical (Plato, Kant, Marx) perspectives, but sociological (Adorno, Simmel) and psychological (Freud) perspectives also come into play. She addresses concepts related to pleasure, aesthetics, nostalgia, magic, surrealism, glamour, rebellion, consumerism, and religion. Through historical accounts and personal stories, Wilson illustrates the deep commitment and connection fans with a variety of interests (e.g., fashion, celebrities, literature) have with particular people (or products). For Wilson, fans display a religious-like devotion to celebrities and products, seeking magical and meaningful experiences. Of particular interest to pop culture scholars, this unique analysis of fanship and fandom is insightful and engaging. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty, general readers. S. Reysen Texas A&M University-CommerceThere are no comments on this title.