Popular Culture in American History

Notes on Contributors x
 
Preface and Acknowledgments to the Second Edition xii
 
Acknowledgments to the First Edition xv
 
Introduction: The Worldwide Web of Popular Culture 1
 
1 New News 11
 
Timeline 11
 
Introduction 12
 
Little Sheets of News and Varieties: The Penny Wonder in New York City by Isabelle Lehuu 13
 
Consider the Source: 33
 
Excerpt from "Great Astronomical Discoveries Recently Made," from the Sun (Friday, August 28, 1835) 33
 
Suggested Further Reading 35
 
2 The World of the Stage 37
 
Timeline 37
 
Introduction 38
 
William Shakespeare in America by Lawrence Levine 39
 
Consider the Source: 59
 
Excerpt from Representative Men, by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1850) 60
 
Suggested Further Reading 66
 
3 The Racy Appeal of the Minstrel 67
 
Timeline 67
 
Introduction 68
 
The Blackface Lore Cycle by W. T. Lhamon, Jr. 71
 
Consider the Source: 86
 
Excerpts from Nineteenth-Century Minstrel Shows 86
 
Suggested Further Reading 88
 
4 Western Values 91
 
Timeline 91
 
Introduction 92
 
Women and the Language of Men by Jane Tompkins 94
 
Consider the Source: 109
 
First excerpt from The Virginian, by Owen Wister (1902) 110
 
Second excerpt from The Virginian, by Owen Wister (1902) 112
 
Suggested Further Reading 113
 
5 Moving Images 115
 
Timeline 115
 
Introduction 116
 
Nickel Madness by Robert Sklar 118
 
Consider the Source: 133
 
Excerpts from The Spirit of Youth, by Jane Addams (1909) 134
 
Suggested Further Reading 138
 
6 Waves of Selling 139
 
Timeline 139
 
Introduction 140
 
Arguments over Broadcast Advertising by Susan Smulyan 142
 
Consider the Source: 180
 
Excerpt from "Sponsoritis," from Radio Revue magazine (1930)

Jim Cullen is Chair of the high-profile Fieldston School in New York, and a book review editor for the History News Network. His published works include The Civil War Era: An Anthology of Sources (with L. Cullen-Sizer, Wiley-Blackwell, 2005), Essaying the Past: How to Read, Write and Think About History, Second Edition (Wiley-Blackwell, 2013), and Sensing the Past: Hollywood Stars and Historical Visions (2013).

"This stunning collection of essays and sources is indispensable for the study of popular culture. Jim Cullen knows more about the subject than anyone, and this second edition gives us a sweeping vision of the making and meaning of American popular culture." -- Louis P. Masur, Rutgers University "This book is the place to start if you're fascinated by the history of popular culture in America. It's an enlightening exploration into what people read, watched, joked about, listened to, danced to, and imagined in America's past." -- Bruce Dorsey, Swarthmore College "Cullen's outstanding collection helps readers understand the significance of key cultural changes, ranging from the movies to the web. Groundbreaking essays as well as insight into how historians work make this a valuable volume." -- Lizabeth Cohen, author of A Consumers' Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in Postwar America

"This stunning collection of essays and sources is indispensable for the study of popular culture. Jim Cullen knows more about the subject than anyone, and this second edition gives us a sweeping vision of the making and meaning of American popular culture." ? Louis P. Masur, Rutgers University
 
"This book is the place to start if you're fascinated by the history of popular culture in America. It's an enlightening exploration into what people read, watched, joked about, listened to, danced to, and imagined in America's past." ? Bruce Dorsey, Swarthmore College
 
"Cullen's outstanding collection helps readers understand the significance of key cultural changes, ranging from the movies to the web. Groundbreaking essays as well as insight into how historians work make this a valuable volume." ? Lizabeth Cohen, author of A Consumers' Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in Postwar America