About the Book
Throughout his life, Richard Hoggart has been involved with four main areas: broadcasting, arts policy, education, and social work, all of which he finds have characteristics in common. This collection of essays represents less than a quarter of his essays published over the last two decades. The subjects, to which he turned again and again and which recur in public debate, are still current and contemporary. His views on culture and society, on literature and censorship, and on higher education are both unique and timely.The volume is divided into six parts. Part 1, "Society and Culture: Home and Away," discusses the question, "Are museums political?"; the use of the battered word culture in relation to UNESCO; and the end of the public service idea. Part 2, "A Very English Voice," looks at the rural English culture and country of D. H. Lawrence, and examines the controversy and censorship involved with three of Lawrence's works: The Rainbow, Women in Love, and Lady Chatterley's Lover. Part 3, "Politics and Literature," reveals the author's penchant for timely debates on such subjects as "The State versus Literature" and "Freedom to Publish: Even Hateful Stuff"; and his thoughts on reviewers and reviewing. Part 4, "Levels of Education," touches upon the subjects of politics in universities; the use of public funds for various purposes presumed to be socially valuable; academics in the marketplace; and the need for government to foster critical and cultivated literacy. Part 5, "Figures from a Distant Past," contains reminiscences on and portraits of Hoggart's close relationships and family. Part 6, "Summing Up and Signing Off," is an interview with Nicolas Tredell in which Hoggart discusses his life's work and concerns.Written in Hoggart's characteristically graceful but direct style, these essays touch on issues of contemporary importance in his unique manner. This volume will be of interest to scholars and general readers interested in culture studies, communications, and education.
Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements, Sources, Introduction to the American Edition, Introduction, PART ONE: SOCIETY AND CULTURE: HOME AND AWAY, Are Museums Political?, Noble Aspirations: UNESCO and Civil Society, a Memoir, Broadcasting, Democracy and the Enabling Principle, PART TWO: A VERY ENGLISH VOICE, D. H. Lawrence’s Country, The Rainbow, Women in Love, Lady Chatterley and the Censors, PART THREE: POLITICS AND LITERATURE, The Road to Wigan Pier, The State versus Literature, Freedom to Publish: Even Hateful Stuff, Reviewers and Reviewing, PART FOUR: LEVELS OF EDUCATION, Politics, Anti-Politics and the Unpolitical: The Universities in the Second Half of the Twentieth Century, Gamekeepers or Poachers: A Matter of Approach, Between Two Worlds: Public and Private Discourses, Literacy is Not Enough: Critical Literacy and Creative Reading, PART FIVE: FIGURES FROM A DISTANT PAST, Memoir For Our Grandchildren, Brother Tom, Bill and Lil, Auntie Ann, Harry and Doris, PART SIX: SUMMING UP AND SIGNING OFF, Looking Back: An Interview with Nicolas Tredell
About the Author :
Richard Hoggart, as professor of modern English literature at Birmingham University, founded the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies. He has authored or edited over twenty-five books, including Between Two Worlds: Politics, Anti-Politics, and the Unpolitical, The Uses of Literacy, and The Tyranny of Relativism.
