Popular Culture and Working-Class Taste in Britain, 1930-39: A Round of Cheap Diversions?

Description

This book examines the relationship between class and culture in 1930s Britain. Focusing on the reading and cinema-going tastes of the working classes, Robert James' landmark study combines rigorous historical analysis with a close textual reading of visual and written sources to appraise the role of popular leisure in this fascinating decade. Drawing on a wealth of original research, this lively and accessible book adds immeasurably to our knowledge of working-class leisure pursuits in this contentious period. It is a key intervention in the field, providing both an imaginative approach to the subject and an abundance of new material to analyse, thus making it an undergraduate and postgraduate 'must-have'. It will be a particularly welcome addition for anyone interested in the fields of cultural and social history, as well as film, cultural and literary studies. -- .

Robert James is Senior Lecturer in Cultural and Social History at the University of Portsmouth -- .

'This is an excellently nuanced book ...an impressive first book' Keith Laybourn, History 'An exemplary piece of social and cultural history: meticulously researched, cogently argued, imaginative in its approach. It deserves to be afforded major intellectual currency not just in British film studies but also in the social history of working-class life and practices' James Chapman, Journal of British Cinema and Television 'Essential reading for anybody interested in 1930s British society', Daniel Hucker, Gender and History 'James makes a convincing argument for the distinctiveness and complexity of working-class taste in this period. He also offers a compelling view of the importance of working-class consumer preference in shaping the provision of film and literature in working-class communities' Andrew August, Labour History Review -- .