Book Description

As literary and cultural studies expand into new areas of enquiry, the aim of this three-volume sequence is to provide an intertextual cultural history of modern Britain, one in which literary, cultural and historical processes are intimately connected. It is a survey in which culture is seen neither as a mere reflection of social forces nor as separate from such forces, but rather as a participating and moulding factor in the history of perception in this country throughout the twentieth century. This book covers the period 1930-1955. It began with Britain coming off the gold standard and ended with Harold Macmillan telling the British people that they had never had it so good. These were the years that saw the establishment of an interventionist state, the spread of mass culture, and the replacement of class consciousness by the celebration of consumerism. The essays in this volume consider how different forms of culture both facilitated and resisted these developments. Written in a lively and accessible manner, they provide a wealth of insight and information into the novels, the poetry, the theatre, the popular fiction, the painting, the press, the cinema, the radio, the music and the technology of the period. Not only do they constitute an excellent guide to these diverse cultural forms, they also provide a valuable historical perspective on current debates about the nature and role of culture in society.