The Way We Live Now: Dilemmas in Contemporary Culture

by Richard Hoggart

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0712673512
• ISBN13: 9780712673518
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: Pimlico
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Excellent polemic against 'dumbing down' of culture.

Hoggart is the Grand Old Man of (British) Culture, he is as at home commenting on the Tellytubbies as on Hegel or Falkner. He's very aware that his position as an academic could prejudice his argument and so has made this book very non 'ivory tower'. Going through the years and through the different media of culture he shows how the reductivist and populist ways of thinking have led to cultural impoverishment. The great thing is he does this in a very aproachable way with a great eclectic trawl through his erudite and witty mind. If you are worried about education, about piles of bricks masquerading as sculpture, splodges of paint as art, about bad books published and praised solely on the colour or gender of their authors, if you are worry about what television is doing to your brain then this is a great book for you. Because Hoggart has seen the pitfalls of merely ranting about the destruction of culture he has all the weapons you need to defend yourself against the cultural vandals who equate graffiti with Shakespeare. The book is great to dip into - the examples of bad culture exposed by his scathing wit are hilarious. If you are a college student and have nothing to say to those who assert that Warhol is as valid an artist as Carravagio then this is an excellent prep work for the next time you get into a late night arguement. The search for quality and depth in culture has very few friends. Soon Hoggart will become another 'dead white male' - read him before he does.