LITERATURE, CULTURE AND SOCIETY

Book Details

• Publisher: Rawat Publications

• Author: Andrew Milner

• Language: English

• Edition: 2018

• ISBN: 9788131610176

• Pages: 240

• Cover: Hardcover

About the Book
Literature, Culture, and Society reinstates the centrality of literature to cultural studies, emphasizing its vital role in understanding the intricate relationship between society, literature, and culture. As cultural studies has grown from its modest origins on the fringes of English literature into an academic powerhouse, it has gradually drifted away from both literature and sociology, favoring the semiotics of popular culture. This book serves as a decisive attempt to re-establish those crucial connections between literary studies, cultural studies, and sociology.

Arguing against both literary humanism and sociological relativism, Milner engages with major contemporary debates about the literary canon and its non-literary counterparts. The text presents an accessible overview of key theoretical approaches to textual analysis, including hermeneutics and postmodernism. Milner also delves into the capitalist literary mode of production, examining both the technological forces of mechanical reproduction and the social relations of commodification.

The book features detailed case studies of both written texts and films, offering practical illustrations of its core arguments. Literature, Culture, and Society is a thought-provoking introduction to the sociology of literature, challenging readers to reconsider the role of literature in shaping societal structures. It is an essential read for students and teachers of literary and cultural studies who are looking for a critical exploration of the intersections between literature, culture, and social theory.

Contents

• Literature, Culture, and the Canon

• Analytical Strategies

• Mechanical Reproduction: The Forces of Production

• Commodity Culture: The Relations of Production

• Texts and Contexts: From Genesis to Frankenstein

• Texts and Contexts: From Frankenstein to Blade Runner

About the Author
Andrew Milner is an Associate Professor in the Centre for Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies at Monash University, Melbourne.