Forty-three highly teachable, contemporary essays. Reading Pop Culture includes many high-interest, selections for students to analyze.
- Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan's "Why Vampires Never Die" investigates the immortal popularity of these creatures.
- Hua Hsu analyzes the erosion of a fundamental aspect of identity in "The End of White America?"
- Susan Sontag's "The Imagination of Disaster," on the popularity of disaster films, is one of several classic pieces that give students a framework for analysis.
Paired readings in each chapter suggest
more focused connections, such as those between consumption and work, sports and race, and Hollywood and class.
A variety of voices reflects the richness of the subject. Reading Pop Culture ranges widely in terms of gender, sexuality, race, and culture and presents varied topics. The collection as a whole includes a range of rhetorical styles, including arguments and analyses.
More than 35 contemporary images throughout plus a portfolio of advertisements provide rich visual material for analysis.
Supportive and flexible editorial apparatus. A general introduction with writing advice, and headnotes, gloss notes, and questions and assignments for each reading offer context and pedagogical help. An alternative rhetorical table of contents adds options for teaching.