Description
Book SynopsisGary Cross reveals how consumed nostalgia shapes how we cope with accelerating change, unpacking the cultural dynamics that turn pop tunes into oldies and childhood toys into valuable commodities. By unmasking the character of modern nostalgia, Cross helps us better understand the rituals of recall in an age of fast capitalism.
Trade ReviewA provocative, interesting, well-researched, and well-written work that will make an important contribution to studies of memory and modern culture and will illuminate Americans' evolving relationships with their past. -- Susan Matt, Weber State University, author of Homesickness: An American History Retro is big business. Nostalgia fuels demand for oldies music, muscle cars, television reruns, vintage fashion, and a dizzying array of collectibles and kitsch. In a history that is stunning in its breadth and insights, Gary Cross, the preeminent historian of consumer culture, explores the allure of past fads and fashions and examines nostalgia in its diverse forms, from the toys, dolls, popular music, and television that recapture a lost youth to the heritage museums and theme parks that act as sites of collective memory. Americans may consider themselves a forward-looking people, but their nostalgia for remnants of the past remains intense. -- Steven Mintz, University of Texas at Austin, author of The Prime of Life: A History of Modern Adulthood This informative look at collecting and consumerism is recommended for researchers of history, memory, cultural studies, and consumption. Library Journal An important addition to the growing body of literature on nostalgia. -- Tobias Becker H-Soz-u-Kult
Table of ContentsIntroduction. Our Nostalgic Novelty Culture 1. Guys Toys and "Girls" Dolls 2. Lovin' That '57 Chevy (or Whatever Was Your Favorite Car at Seventeen) 3. (Re-)Living That Golden Decade 4. Leaving It to Beaver and Retro TV 5. Give Me That Old-Time Radio 6. Dilemmas of Heritage in an Era of Consumed Nostalgia 7. Pilgrimages, Souvenirs, and Memory at Disney Conclusion. Where We've Been, Where We Might Go Notes Index
