From Lowbrow to Nobrow
Product Description
“From Lobrow to Nobrow” demolishes the elite argument that popular fiction and culture are the underside of civilization. In this innovative book, Peter Swirski goes beyond demonstrating that “high-brow” has been transformed to “low-brow,” showing that nobrow art is the interactive factor in the relationship between popular art and highbrow art. Swirski begins with a series of groundbreaking questions about the nature of popular fiction, vindicating it as an art for… More >>
From the back cover: “This superb book will make all previous studies in popular culture moot. Swirski demonstrates that in cultures there are no brows whatsoever. This book must be owned by all libraries and cultural studies scholars,” Ray B. Browne. That about sums it up.
Rating: 5 / 5
Call me cynical but I’ve never thought that the book which examines the blurring phenomenon between “brow” cultures and the emergence of the “nobrow” space could ever stir my emotions in such a powerful way! Who said that social trend setting should be reserved only for sociologists, psychologists, marketers and futurists? The author, who certainly does not belong to the circle of conventional thinkers, alerts us to a powerful social change that emerges from the popular literature. This book helped me realise that wherever it is that we are going, it is mass literature, which conveys the values and attitudes of its readers, shapes the full character, behaviour and lives of its audience. What amazes me is the fact that the change that emerges from this ocean of mainstream thinking still remains somehow unnoticed and not because of its movement but because of the impact it makes on its audience. It is brilliant book that strangles many orthodox ideas in the periphery of their thinking!
Rating: 5 / 5
`Popular fiction equals generic equals bad’. Although genre literature can now be found in nearly every corner of society, it continues to suffer from negative critiques among institutional curricula where its aesthetic values have been largely ignored or, worse, condemned. Loaded with solid evidence and practical examples, Swirski’s book strives to reverse this biased view of popular fiction. By comparing it with its highbrow counterpart, the author demonstrates that these two allegedly polarized ends of the literary spectrum have actually in many aspects in common. This long-standing and profound interpenetration leading him to a profound conclusion – there may be no clear-cut `brows’ in literature.
Among others, Swirski begins with a discussion of how the flourishing of book publication since 1950s gives the ammunition to the many charges against mass fiction. Taking into account its sheer volume of production, popular fiction might indeed in absolute number have produced more inferior writing than its highbrow opposite. Yet, as the author copiously illustrates, there are examples of mass fictions which are embraced by the canon as art. Classics like Romeo and Juliet and Oliver Twist, are they not originally written for the general public? Even in terms of aesthetic impulse, popular fiction is proven to be of surprisingly ambitious credentials .
Having dealt with the `quantitative’ charges, the book turns to discussing what I call `qualitative’ charges on popular fiction. Reconstructing the critical debates of more than a century, the author uses examples from the highbrow end to demonstrate how, in reality, prestigious art displays the same kind of `debased’ nature as found in popular fiction. If the latter needs to be condemned, then, the former should be accused as well. As the analysis goes on, readers can observe the emerging central theme of the book – how the two seemingly polarised forms of literature resemble each other.
What’s marvellous about this work is it does not just lie down bunches of theories and afterwards leaves the readers behind to do the interpretative job. In Part II it has actually used three diverse popular genres (science fantasy, hardboiled novel, and medical thriller) as examples for discussion. It is through detailed and interesting analysis that Swirski demonstrates to us how mass fiction can also reflect highbrow aesthetic values.
Backed by a rich source of examples, Swirski has one by one brilliantly demolished long-held criticisms on genre art. He has also made an important contribution by looking beyond the high-low brow split and identified an emergent taste culture – a middle ground called nobrow art.
Rating: 5 / 5
From lowbrow to Nobrow is a great book in terms of content and style. The author describes nobrow as a fusion between highbrow and lowbrow, provides a thorough theoretical and historical analysis, and shows that nobrow culture and literature occurred in the early decades of the twentieth century. In every argument, he provides statistical data and evidence to support his points. This book will help you to know more about the connection between literature and popular culture.
Rating: 5 / 5
Recommended by a friend and attracted by the title, I found this book very user-friendly and enjoyable to read. This book gave me some useful insights on literary culture through the comparisons of highbrow literature and popular fiction. As a drama teacher, I found that very intriguing and inspiring and had gained a more critical view on looking at fiction and various “taste” cultures nowadays. If anyone is interested in a more in-depth analysis and understanding on modern literature and the so-called “nobrow” phenomenon that is sweeping through the literary world, this is an excellent and smart book which introduces completely different and ground-breaking views than those normally accepted and taught by previous generations.
Rating: 5 / 5