x, 189 pages ; 24 cm

"The popular culture that surrounds us in our daily lives bears a striking similarity to some of the great works of literature of the past. In television, movies, magazines, and advertisements we are exposed to many of the same stories as those found in the great books of Western literature, but we have simply been encouraged to look at those stories differently. In Trash Culture, Richard K. Simon examines the ways in which the great literature and cultural work of the past has been rewritten for today's consumer society. Trash Culture concludes that the great books are alive and well, but simply hidden from the critics. It argues for the linking of high and low for the study and appreciation of each form of literature, and the importance of teaching popular culture and books alongside the great tradition in order to understand the critical context in which the books appear."--Book cover

Includes bibliographical references (pages 179-184) and index

Trash and literature -- Critical context -- Star wars and The faerie queen -- Trash talk show -- Friends, Seinfeld, and Days of our lives -- Tragedy, the Enquirer, and the critics -- Advertising and utopia -- Shopping mall and the formal garden -- Playboy and The book of the courtier -- Cosmopolitan and the woman's coming-of-age novel -- Star trek, Gulliver's travels, and the problem of history -- Great books in Vietnam -- Matthew Arnold meets Godzilla

"The popular culture that surrounds us in our daily lives bears a striking similarity to some of the great works of literature of the past. In television, movies, magazines, and advertisements we are exposed to many of the same stories as those found in the great books of Western literature, but we have simply been encouraged to look at those stories differently. In Trash Culture, Richard K. Simon examines the ways in which the great literature and cultural work of the past has been rewritten for today's consumer society. Trash Culture concludes that the great books are alive and well, but simply hidden from the critics. It argues for the linking of high and low for the study and appreciation of each form of literature, and the importance of teaching popular culture and books alongside the great tradition in order to understand the critical context in which the books appear."--Book cover

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