Memo - Oct. 19 - Popular culture in the age of mass media Picking up Michael Rogin's article on race and American identity in Hollywood films, this week's readings pnder the relationship of the individual to society in the age of mass culture. Chapter 6 in Popular Culture in American History looks at the experiece of going to the movies and the creation of anonymous, mass audiences in the early era of motion pictures. The chapter centers on an excerpt by Daniel Czitrom, a professor at Mt. Holyoke College, from his book Media and the American Mind. In Chapter 8 in PCAH, Jim Cullen explores the phenomenon of celebrity and stardom. He focuses on the singer Frank Sintatra, in the peak years of his career, from the 1930s to the 1950s. The third reading is a well-known essay by the influential historian of American culture Warren Susman. In it, Susman argues that a deep but subtle transformation took place in American culture at the dawn of twentieth centruy, from an emphasis on a person's "character" to an emphasis on his or her "personality." As you read, and afterwards, please think about the following questions: What did people get out of going to the movies? On what grounds were some people opposed to this new form of entertainment? How did economic and social changes affect and shape people's changing cultural activities, ca. 1900-20? What new opportunities, pressures, and concerns did people experience? What about in the 1930s and '40s? In what ways was technology involved in shaping a new set of cultural values and expectations? How did the values of business and commercial life influence the developments described in these three readings--movie-going, the creation of pop music superstars, and personality. In Susman's article, are there any aspects of the older cutlure of "character" that are still with us today? How are their meanings different in today's context? Thinking about our readings and discussion about blackface, is race important for understanding these readings in any way?