St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. U-Z,Index Vol. 5.

Sometimes, when I'm wandering in an art museum looking at the relics of an ancient civilization, I find myself wondering how a future society would represent a defunct American culture. What objects would be chosen—or would survive—to be placed on display? Would I agree with a curator's choices? Were I to choose the items that some future American Museum of Art should exhibit to represent twentieth-century American culture, here are some I would name: an tilvis Presley record; a Currier & Ives print; a movie still from Casablanca. To put it a different way, my priority would not be to exhibit fragments of an urban cathedral, a painted landscape, or a formal costume. I wouldn't deny such objects could be important artifacts of American culture, or that they belong in a gallery. But in my avowedly biased opinion, the most vivid documents of American life—the documents that embody its possibilities and limits—arc typically found in its popular culture. Contains Over 2,700 Alphabetically Arranged Essays That Provide Information On Various Elements Of Popular Culture In The United States During The Twentieth Century, Covering The Major Areas Of Film, Music, Print Culture, Social Life, Sports, Television And Radio, And Art And Performance. Includes Time Frame, Category, And Title Indexes. V. 1. A-d -- V. 2. E-j -- V. 3. K-o -- V. 4. P-t -- V. 5. U-z. Editors, Tom Pendergast, Sara Pendergast : With An Introduction By Jim Cullen. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes. Annotation The millenium-inspired fascination with 20th-century studies cannot be fully satisfied without a comprehensive and scholarly look at popular culture. With its emphasis on ideas, people, events and products that symbolize America, the St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture is a cross-curriculum resource that will find use among a wide variety of users. Major topics include: television, movies, theater, art, books, magazines, radio, music, sports, fashion, health, politics, trends, community life and advertising Provides entries that cover all aspects of popular culture in the United States, including art, theater, film, sports, social life, music, and television. Essays examine 20th-century popular cuture, from political events and literary genres, to fast food and fitness fads Book by Pendergast, Tom n Sara (editors)