{"product_id":"popular-music-and-american-literary-culture-paperback-softback-9781119833222","title":"Popular Music and American Literary Culture (Paperback \/ softback) 9781119833222","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003ePopular Music and American Literary Culture\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eKirk Curnutt (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9781119833222, Wiley\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePaperback \/ softback, published 30 March 2026\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e336 pages\u003cbr\u003e22.4 x 15 x 2.3 cm, 0.476 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eExplores how American Literature has represented the sound and spirit of popular music\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the birth of rhythm and blues to the rise of hip-hop, American writers have long grappled with how to capture in words the energy, rebellion, and cultural power of popular music. \u003ci\u003ePopular Music and American Literary Culture \u003c\/i\u003etraces this complex relationship, offering the most comprehensive exploration yet of how novelists, poets, and playwrights have responded to the sounds that have defined the last eight decades of American life. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKirk Curnutt examines how writers have celebrated, critiqued, and been inspired by the sonic revolutions of their time—from Elvis and Motown to punk and rap—while questioning literature’s ability to match music’s visceral immediacy. Moving from 1950s pulp paperbacks to twenty-first-century drama, Curnutt uncovers how depictions of performers, fans, and media reflect broader debates about art, authenticity, and cultural authority. His wide-ranging readings recover overlooked works and authors who confronted rock and soul with as much seriousness as the revered voices of American fiction, poetry, and theater. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIlluminating how writers have tried, and often struggled, to translate rhythm, emotion, and the pulse of a generation into prose and verse, \u003ci\u003ePopular Music and American Literary Culture:\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003eAddresses scholarship on rock, soul, funk, and hip-hop within a single, cohesive framework\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eReveals how literary portrayals of music reflect shifting cultural attitudes toward race, class, gender, and generational identity\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eExamines canonical authors including Thomas Pynchon and James Baldwin, as well as overlooked writers such as Kristin Hunter and Greg Randolph\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eReclaims forgotten or neglected texts that expand the boundaries of American musical and literary study\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eIntegrates historical, cultural, and formal perspectives to show the evolution of music in American artistic consciousness\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003ePopular Music and American Literary Culture: Reading the Beat\u003c\/i\u003e is ideal for undergraduate and graduate courses in American literature, popular culture, and music history. It is especially relevant for English, American Studies, and Cultural Studies programs seeking to blend literary analysis with media and performance studies. Written in an engaging and accessible style, it is also well-suited for general readers interested in the interplay between sound and story in American artistic life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePreface viii\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIntroduction: Reading the Beat 1\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eLiterary Capital: The Risks and Rewards of Investing Cultural Authority in Popular Music 4\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCalculating Rock ‘n’ Roll’s Market Cap: From Condescension to Envy to Reverence 10\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eLiterary Capital, Popular Music, and African American Cultural Power 24\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eLiterary Capital and Timeliness vs. Timelessness 41\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotes 45\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e1 Celebrity Skin: Artistry, Authenticity, Audience 57\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePulpabilly vs. Culpability: Sincerity in 1950s Stardom 59\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eInterlude: The Unfulfilled Pop Possibilities of Fame 66\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOwning Soul: The Black Arts Movement and Black Stardom vs. the System 72\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMessianic vs. Fascistic Fame: Rock Stars and the Escape from Idolization 80\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRemember When Rock Was Young: The Greatest Hits Narrative 90\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAmong the Absences: Secret Histories and Missing Links 92\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmperors of Soul: R\u0026amp;B and Black Self-Possession 102\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotes 109\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e2 Fans’ Notes: Everyday Uses of Popular Music and Stars 121\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Sound Without the Fury: Unreflective Consumption 123\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHear and Now: The Radical Power of Feeling Music 131\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSubcultural Music and Literature 139\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFandom and Idolizing Rock and Rap Stars 144\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMaking the Band: Fans as Musical Creatives 152\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Antifan: Kill Rock Stars 157\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotes 159\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e3 Ramones à Clef: Transposing Pop-Music Appeal into Literary Genres and Modes 169\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGenre: The Young-Adult Novel vs. the Adult Bildungsroman 170\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eScience Fiction, Fantasy, Horror 178\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePoetry and the Problem of the “Hip-Hop Novel” 187\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHistorical Fiction vs. the Roman à Clef 195\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotes 208\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e4 Sound Barriers: Translating Pop Forms into Printed Texts 218\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTitles 221\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnheard Melodies Are Not Sweeter: Fictional Songs and Their Lyrics 225\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eLiner Notes, Oral Histories, and Other Discourse Forms 232\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eStructures and Devices: From Album to iPod to Playlist, Mixtape to Remix 241\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotes 254\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConclusion 263\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWorks Cited 268\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndex 309\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eSubject Areas: Literature: history \u0026amp; criticism [\u003ca title=\"See our other books on Literature: history \u0026amp; criticism\" href=\"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/search?q=%22Literature:%20history%20\u0026amp;%20criticism%20%5BDS%5D%22\"\u003eDS\u003c\/a\u003e]\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Wiley","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52430974550296,"sku":"9781119833222","price":23.29,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0730\/2037\/5320\/files\/9781119833222.jpg?v=1784766857","url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/popular-music-and-american-literary-culture-paperback-softback-9781119833222","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}