Description
Book SynopsisUsing examples from different historical contexts, Class, Culture and the Agrarian Myth examines the relationship between class, nationalism, modernity and the agrarian myth. Essentialising rural identity, traditional culture and quotidian resistance, both aristocratic / plebeian and pastoral / Darwinian forms of agrarian myth discourse inform struggles waged 'from above' and 'from below', surfacing in peasant movements, film and travel writing.
Trade Review"When a book begins with a 12-line explanatory footnote to the opening epigram, one expects a dense read to follow. Class, Culture and the Agrarian Myth does not disappoint
Particularly through his exploration of film and travel writing, Brass offers an intriguing perspective on the agrarian myth and rise of "populist postmodernism." CHOICE
"When a book begins with a 12-line explanatory footnote to the opening epigram, one expects a dense read to follow. Class, Culture and the Agrarian Myth does not disappoint… Particularly through his exploration of film and travel writing, Brass offers an intriguing perspective on the agrarian myth and rise of "populist postmodernism." —CHOICE
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction I. CULTURE, TRADITION AND MODERNITY 1 Cultural Struggle ‘From Below’ 2 Cultural Struggle ‘From Above’ 3 Development caught between Tradition and Modernity II. SCREEN IMAGES OF RURAL STRUGGLE 4 Horror, Humour, Fiends and Fools 5 Best of Friends, or Worst of Enemies? III. CULTURE, CLASS STRUGGLE AND TRAVEL 6 The Grand Tour, or From Cosmopolitanism to Nationalism 7 Mass Tourism, or the Mob-in-the-streets Travels Abroad 8 Venice – Being There Conclusion References Index
