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Through a diversity of primary source resources that include works
by politicians and literary figures, book reviews, and interviews,
this book enables student readers to better understand literature
of the Great Depression in context through original documents.
Oklahoma drought refugees seeking livelihood in California, rural
white Mississippians, and African American migrants making new
lives in Chicago all represented the dramatic transitions across
the spectrum of American life during the Great Depression. These
vastly different groups of Americans still shared common
experiences of desperation and poverty during the 1930s. This book
focuses on literary works by three Depression-era authors—William
Faulkner, John Steinbeck, and Richard Wright—and supplies dozens
of primary source documents that serve to illuminate the harsh
realities of life in the 1930s and enable students to better
appreciate key pieces in American literature from the Great
Depression era. The Depression Era: A Historical Exploration of
Literature gives readers historical context for multiple works of
American literature about the Great Depression through a wide range
of features, including chronologies, essays explaining key events,
and primary document excerpts as well as support materials that
include activities, lesson plans, discussion questions, topics for
further research, and suggested readings. The book's coverage
includes William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying (1930), John Steinbeck's
Of Mice and Men (1937), The Grapes of Wrath (1939), and Richard
Wright's Native Son (1940).
This book looks at questions and answers pertaining to the
organization, usage, and ownership of information in the Internet
age-and the impact of shifting attitudes towards information
ownership on creative endeavors. In the competing traditions of
Marshall McLuhan and Langdon Winner, authors Aaron Barlow and
Robert Leston take readers on a revealing tour of the Internet
after the explosion of the blogosphere and social media. In the
world Beyond the Blogosphere, information has surpassed its limits,
the distinction between public and private selves has collapsed,
information is more untrustworthy than it ever was before, and
technology has exhibited a growth and a desire that may soon exceed
human control. As Langdon Winner pointed out long ago, "tools have
politics." In an eye-opening journey that navigates the nuances of
the cultural impact the internet is having on daily life, Barlow
and Leston examine the culture of participation in order to urge
others to reconsider the view that the Internet is merely a
platform or a set of tools that humans use to suit their own
desires. Provocative and engaging, Beyond the Blogosphere stands as
a challenge on how to rethink the Internet so that it doesn't
out-think us.
This book spotlights the 25 most important sitcoms to ever air on
American television-shows that made generations laugh, challenged
our ideas regarding gender, family, race, marital roles, and sexual
identity, and now serve as time capsules of U.S. history. What was
the role of The Jeffersons in changing views regarding race and
equality in America in the 1970s? How did The Golden Girls affect
how society views older people? Was The Office an accurate (if
exaggerated) depiction of the idiosyncrasies of being employees in
a modern workplace? How did the writers of The Simpsons make it
acceptable to air political satire through the vehicle of an
animated cartoon ostensibly for kids? Readers of this book will see
how television situation comedies have consistently held up a
mirror for American audiences to see themselves-and the reflections
have not always been positive or purely comedic. The introduction
discusses the history of sitcoms in America, identifying their
origins in radio shows and explaining how sitcom programming
evolved to influence the social and cultural norms of our society.
The shows are addressed chronologically, in sections delineated by
decade. Each entry presents background information on the show,
including the dates it aired, key cast members, and the network;
explains why the show represents a notable turning point in
American television; and provides an analysis of each sitcom that
considers how the content was received by the American public and
the lasting effects on the family unit, gender roles, culture for
young adults, and minority and LGBT rights. The book also draws
connections between important sitcoms and other shows that were
influenced by or strikingly similar to these trendsetting programs.
Lastly, a section of selections for further reading points readers
to additional resources. Identifies the reason each show was a
turning point in American television and provides analysis of the
issues and themes present in each sitcom, how the content was
received by the American public, and the lasting effects of the
program Covers a time period of more than half a century, from I
Love Lucy to Modern Family Clearly demonstrates how television as
well as American ideals and values have changed dramatically over a
fairly short period of time
Covering the daily lives of American soldiers from their training
through their arrival in France and participation in the final
battles of the war, this book offers a breadth of perspectives on
the experiences of doughboys in the First World War via primary
documents of the time. Due to the mechanical typewriter and the
Linotype machine, printed materials during the World War I era were
produced quickly and widely distributed. In a time without media
other than those on paper, printed materials like newspapers,
magazines, books, letters, and army orders were critical for
communication. This book examines the range of documents written
during World War I or within a few years of the end of the conflict
to reveal the experiences of the doughboys who participated in "the
war to end all wars." Through documents such as military
communications, newspaper accounts, personal letters, divisional
histories written soon after the end of hostilities, and other
sources, readers get detailed glimpses into the doughboy experience
during World War I. The book covers subject matter throughout their
time as soldiers, including training in the United States and in
France, early participation in conflicts, daily life in the
American Expeditionary Force, the major battles for American
troops, and what returning home was like for those lucky ones. The
assembled narrative of the war experience from many different
voices and individuals creates a resource that enables a better
understanding the attitudes and perspectives from 1918 through the
very early 1920s. Readers will also gain an appreciation of the
many changes in American culture that were to follow immediately
after the war's conclusion and contribute to the decade of the
Roaring Twenties.
In 1985 The WELL, a dial-up discussion board based on the
utilization of desktop computer technology, invited popular
participation in one of the first examples of what would eventually
evolve into the "blog"- an interactive website allowing reaction
comments to initial statements, and now providing the primary
Internet means for dialogue. The WELL began with the phrase: "You
own your own words." Though almost everything else about online
discussion has changed in the two decades since, those words still
describe its central premise, and this basic idea underlies both
the power and the popularity of blogging today. Appropriately
enough, it also describes American journalism as it existed a
century and a half before The WELL was organized, before the
concept of popular involvement in the press was nearly swept away
on the rising tide of commercial and professional journalism. In
this book, which is the first to provide readers with a
cultural/historical account of the blog, as well as the first to
analyze the different aspects of this growing phenomenon in terms
of its past, Aaron Barlow provides lay readers with a thorough
history and analysis of a truly democratic technology that is
becoming more important to our lives every day. The current
popularity of political blogs can be traced back to currents in
American culture apparent even at the time of the Revolution. At
that time there was no distinct commercial and professional press;
the newspapers, then, provided a much more direct outlet for the
voices of the people. In the nineteenth century, as the press
became more commercial, it moved away from its direct involvement
with politics, taking on an "observer" stance--removing itselffrom
the people, as well as from politics. In the twentieth century, the
press became increasingly professional, removing itself once more
from the general populace. Americans, however, still longed to
voice their opinions with the freedom that the press had once
provided. Today, blogs are providing the means for doing just that.
As blogs have evolved over the last few years, they have begun to
take on distinct characteristics depending on audience and purpose.
Though political blogs remain the most high profile (and most
read), other types of blogs are gaining in strength and visibility.
This book-a follow-up volume to Barlow's Rise of the Blogosphere,
which examined the historical context for the modern blog-provides
an examination of the many current aspects of the blogosphere, from
the political to the professional to the personal, with many stops
in between. Given that millions of blogs have been created over the
past five years and yet more come online at an undiminished rate,
and given that enthusiasm for both reading them and writing them
has yet to wane, it is likely that the blog explosion will continue
indefinitely. As blogs have evolved over the last few years, they
have begun to take on distinct characteristics depending on
audience and purpose. Though political blogs remain the most high
profile (and most read), other types of blogs are gaining in
strength and visibility. This book-a follow-up volume to Barlow's
Rise of the Blogosphere, which examined the historical context for
the modern blog-provides an examination of the many current aspects
of the blogosphere, from the political to the professional to the
personal, with many stops in between. Areas covered include the
personal blog; the political blog; the use of blogs by various
religious communities both for discussion within communities and
for outreach; the growth of blogs dedicated to specific geographic
communities, and their relations with older local media; blogs
dedicated to technical subjects, particularly relating to
computers; blogs and business; blogs sparked by video games,
movies, music, and other forms of entertainment; and more. Given
that millions of blogs have been created over the past five years
and yet more come online at an undiminished rate, and given that
enthusiasm for both reading them and writing for them has yet to
wane, it is likely that the blog explosion will continue
indefinitely.
American individualism: It is the reason for American success, but
it also tears the nation apart. Why do Americans have so much
trouble seeing eye to eye today? Is this new? Was there ever an
American consensus? The Cult of Individualism: A History of an
Enduring American Myth explores the rarely discussed cultural
differences leading to today's seemingly intractable political
divides. After an examination of the various meanings of
individualism in America, author Aaron Barlow describes the
progression and evolution of the concept from the 18th century on,
illuminating the wide division in Caucasian American culture that
developed between the culture based on the ideals of the English
Enlightenment and that of the Scots-Irish "Borderers." The
"Borderer" legacy, generally explored only by students of
Appalachian culture, remains as pervasive and significant in
contemporary American culture and politics as it is, unfortunately,
overlooked. It is from the "Borderers" that the Tea Party sprang,
along with many of the attitudes of the contemporary American
right, making it imperative that this culture be thoroughly
explored. Documents how the concept and execution of "American
individualism" is as diverse as America itself Explains how the
American notion of individualism has roots that extend back to
cultural myths that predate the founding of the nation Spotlights
the role of the "Borderer" culture spearheaded by the Scots-Irish,
whose legacy fuels much of America's contemporary cultural and
political divides Provides eye-opening information for any reader
who wishes to know why so many of our 21st-century political
debates in America seem hopelessly irreconcilable
Analyzing complex social and political issues through their
manifestations in popular culture, this book provides readers a
strong foundational knowledge of the 1960s as a decade. 1969 went
out in a way that could never have been imagined in 1960. While the
president at the end of the decade had been vice president at the
start, the intervening years permanently changed American culture.
Pop Goes the Decade: The Sixties explores the cultural and social
framework of the 1960s, addressing film, television, sports,
technology, media/advertising, fashion, art, and more. Entries are
presented in encyclopedic fashion, organized into such categories
as controversies in pop culture, game changers, technology, and the
decade's legacy. A timeline highlights significant cultural
moments, while an introduction and a conclusion place those moments
within the contexts of preceding and subsequent decades. Attention
to the decade's most prominent influencers allows readers to
understand the movements with which these figures are associated,
and discussion of controversies and social change enables readers
to gain a stronger understanding of evolving American social
values. Provides readers with a detailed understanding of many
aspects of the culture of the decade Explores people, events, and
ideas whose impact is still felt after 50 years Covers
personalities who helped to shape the decade Suggests areas of
further exploration for students interested in popular culture
This book places Quentin Tarantino at the heart of Hollywood,
showing a director who speaks film through film, who examines the
world beyond the movies in a way few have previously attempted, and
at which fewer still have succeeded. Quentin Tarantino: Life at the
Extremes explores the uses of violence in the films Tarantino has
written, directed, and produced. Arguing that extreme violence is
central to Tarantino's art, the book helps readers understand its
purpose in his films-as metaphor, as movement, and as motivation.
For Tarantino, the book explains, violence serves the purposes of
film. In each of his movies, he explores the boundaries of taste
and audience reaction, using violence and shock to bring questions
of responsibility and expectation to the forefront of discussions
on cinema. After introductory chapters placing Tarantino and his
films within the broader context of American cinema, author Aaron
Barlow focuses on Tarantino's six major directorial efforts. Each
film is discussed from its genre starting point and the differing
directions the films take are explored, as are the structural
elements. In the end, readers will see how Tarantino deliberately
pushes film in new directions through old techniques, styles, and
even actors, crafting original art from what others have discarded.
A chronology dates events in the life of Quentin Tarantino, as well
as significant developments in the world of the movies Includes a
detailed listing of Tarantino's film career, noting his
participation in projects as an actor, writer, producer, and
director, with details on each film, including cast and other
participants
This invaluable resource offers students a comprehensive overview
of the Manhattan Project and the decision to drop the atomic bomb,
with more than 80 in-depth articles on a variety of topics and
dozens of key primary source documents. This book provides
everything readers need to know about the Manhattan Project, the
U.S. program that led to the development of the atomic bomb during
World War II. It begins with a detailed introduction to the project
and includes an alphabetical collection of relevant entries on such
topics as the Enola Gay, the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb;
Enrico Fermi, creator of the first nuclear reactor; Hiroshima, the
target of the first atomic bomb; and Robert Oppenheimer, director
of the Manhattan Project. Dozens of primary sources include
eyewitness accounts, government memos, letters, press releases, and
other important documents relevant to the establishment and success
of the Manhattan Project. A set of four essays written by prominent
scholars address whether the United States was justified in
dropping the atomic bomb on Japan. The book also includes a
comprehensive chronology that reveals key moments related to the
creation of the world's first nuclear weapon as well as a
bibliography of resources that points readers toward additional
information on the Manhattan Project, nuclear weapons, and World
War II. Provides an important resource for understanding the
decision-making process and programs that led to the successful
development of the atomic bomb Offers readers the critical material
to understand the controversial decision by President Harry Truman
to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki Provides an A
through Z review of all the key reference content needed to form
the complete picture of the Manhattan Project Introduces readers to
many of the key primary source documents related to the Manhattan
Project and the atomic bomb
The introduction of the DVD marked the beginning of one of
history's most successful technological innovations, and capped a
75-year development of home-viewing possibilities. Never before
have film fans had access in their living rooms to something so
remarkably close to the theatrical experience. In addition, because
a DVD can hold much more than a single movie, it has allowed films
to be marketed with a variety of extras, sparking both a new
packaging industry and greater interest on the part of home
viewers. This book provides an examination of the DVD's impact,
both on home viewing and on film study. From film fan culture
through filmmaker commentaries, from "special editions" to a look
at where the format will go from here, author Aaron Barlow offers
the first-ever exploration of this explosive new entertainment
phenomenon. As the DVD becomes the popular vehicle of record for
films, it is also becoming a unique and unprecedented way for the
interested viewer to learn more about filmmaking than has ever been
possible before. Because of its ability to reproduce the dimensions
and quality of the celluloid image, film fans and scholars can have
practically perfect reproductions of classic and contemporary films
at their disposal. Not only will this book be of interest to the
burgeoning population of DVD fans and collectors, but it will
provide insights that should be of interest to both students of
popular culture and of film.
Stars do have real power, but not all of them wield it wisely. This
work explores how a variety of celebrities developed their brands
and how celebrity can become a jumping-off point to entirely
unrelated activities. Over the past century, a new breed of
entertainer has arisen-one where the old division between on-camera
talent and the suits behind the scenes has largely eroded. From
Mabel Normand and Charlie Chaplin to Lady Gaga and Quentin
Tarantino, entertainers have attempted to cross specialties and
platforms to new arenas, from politics to philanthropy and more. An
ideal resource for general readers as well as students of American
popular culture and media at the undergraduate through scholar
level, Star Power: The Impact of Branded Celebrity details the new
ways entertainers are working in expanded environments to broaden
their brands while also providing the history behind this recent
trend. The two-volume set comprises four main sections: one that
provides historical background, a second on entertainers moving
beyond stardom, a third focused on commerce and education, and a
final section on cultural missions. The work documents how earlier
entertainers "set the stage" for today's stars by exploiting their
celebrity to take greater artistic control of their projects and
provides articles that depict each artist from a number of
perspectives. Readers will understand what motivates the most
important contemporary entertainers working today and better grasp
the business of entertainment as a whole-how Hollywood works, and
who is really in control. Connects artists to their frequent
collaborators, giving readers the benefit of an expansive
introduction that leads logically into an advanced discussion of
each star Documents how pioneering individuals such as Woody Allen
and Clint Eastwood expand their professional activities, thereby
setting the precedent for what is now commonplace: the performer as
writer, director, producer, and brand Covers a broad range of
individuals, including Ezra Pound, Charlie Chaplin, Mario Puzo,
Lady Gaga, Oprah Winfrey, Spike Lee, Fran Drescher, and even
President Theodore Roosevelt
A series of essays on the writing and ideas of Philip K. Dick
presented in eight chapters. This in-depth look at the philosophies
behind Dick's SF and mainstream novels is based on Barlow's 1988
doctoral dissertation at the University of Iowa.
A Narrative in Documents and Letters Relating to the WWI
Experiences of Infantry Lieutenant Alfred Barlow
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