Cultural Studies - an contemporary literary trend

Introduction: 

        Culture is a collaborative term which encompasses the ideas, beliefs, faiths, customs and patterns of existing society. Through this umbrella term it is easy to study society from individual to general perspective. 'Cultural Studies' is an academic discipline which is a logical approach to look all social practices as 'political' rather than aesthetic study.

        This is a influential study in this contemporary literary trend emerged as a outcome of formal and scientific study of literature. Since from the emergence of formal way of approaching literature, it side by side has been demoting the ideals of traditional criticism (From classical to first decades of modern age). Certain formal theoretical approaches includes Formalism, New Criticism and Structuralism had paved way to the development of further post-structural theoretical insights.

        This discipline, therefore, is a interdisciplinary field of study offers to investigate, elucidate, and bring history, anthropology, philosophy, politics, economy, sociology, communication and mass media theories and lot more to comprehend the ideological base on the formation of a work of art.    

    

Background to cultural studies:

         Although cultural studies is considered as one of the literary practices in the contemporary literary world, the very base ideas was put forward by a famous Victorian writer named Matthew Arnold in his 'Culture and Civilisation' dated back to 1860s. This study looked at the power of literary texts in shaping individual sensibility.

         Later, the scope of this discipline discussed by the mid-twentieth century critics. The initial framework of cultural studies was done by Richard Hoggart who was the first director from the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies at the University of Birmingham in 1964 under the directorship of Stuart Hall. Cultural Studies as an academic field of study gained monetary value with the publication of Richard Hoggart's Use of Literacy (1957) and Raymond William's Culture and Society (1958) considering the stepping stone to Cultural Studies.

Insights on Cultural Studies:

         Through this phrase "Cultural Studies" it is even easy to grasp the base term "Culture" is a speaking element for the deep study to elucidate certain ideas. As per the term "Culture" is a key element to comprehend the entire society in different degrees. Every society is therefore has it's own ideals and patterns. It is the duty of Cultural critic to dismantle and distinguish society and a text into different elements of study. Basically when a particular discipline engaged itself with other discipline in order bring some valid insight to the society, so therefore it is considered as a interdisciplinary study of analysing a work of art. So cultural studies is purely a interdisciplinary study of understanding society in various levels.

        For further discussion, here we take Jonathan Culler's ideas on Cultural Studies which further promote us to learn valuable ideas on Cultural Studies. Here Jonathan Culler's book titled on "Literary Theory - A Very Short Introduction" which acts as a helping tool to delve deep into this concept.

Jonathan Culler on Cultural Studies:

         The book "Literary Theory - A Very Short Introduction" consists of 8 different chapters on the understanding of Literary theory in detail. It has been translated into 26 world languages and was published in 1997. Unlike other books on the discourse of different critical schools and their methods of analysis, this book's eight chapters concentrates issues and the problems of literary theory.

          Culler proposes that we use literary theory not to try to understand a text but rather to investigate the activity of interpretation. Jonathan Culler an American critic started his literary journey on examining the origin of structuralism in the linguistic theory of Ferdinand de Saussure in the analysis of myth by Claude Levis-Strauss. Both of whom argued for a new science of "Semiology" - a method of investigating not only language and literature but all human cultural activities.

         In this phenomena, Chapter 3 of Culler's book named "Literature and Cultural Studies" engaged in the discourses on Cultural Studies. 

Jonathan Culler's discourse on Cultural Studies:

         Chapter 3 begins by flashing questions on the deviations of the contemporary literary critics. One of the major activities in humanities in 1990s, Cultural Studies addresses the twist of literary practices from Milton to Madonna and Shakespeare to Soap operas. This immediate shift of literary critics from classical study to contemporary trends may resulted to destroy the essence and authenticity of literature. Same interrogation has put forward here by Jonathan Culler as follows,

      * Will cultural studies give new insight and power?

      * Will cultural studies swallow up or destroy Literature studies or literature?

 

      In order to answer these questions, Culler stresses us to understand Culture Studies from it's origin which background details would strengthens us to learn more concrete ideas on Cultural Studies.

Background:

     Cultural Studies, an interdisciplinary field which is an outcome of two major literary theories are of French Structuralism and Marxist literary theory. One of the famous french literary exponents of French Structuralism named Roland Barthes whose work titled "Mythologies" undertaking the brief readings to the range of cultural activities. Through this work, Barthes makes us to comprehend Cultural Studies to the global range by stressing the study is purely the conventions of history.

       Another source includes, Marxist literary theory in Britain. Major critics are Raymond Williams whose work "Culture and Society" in 1958 and Richard Hoggart whose "The Uses of Literacy" in 1957 exploring the ideas of the world class culture.

 Insights on Cultural Studies:

       People in society are categorize themselves to many forms. They distinguish themselves by distinct themselves as certain communities. Sometimes it is mandatory to focus people from the minorities as well. So cultural studies acts as a lens to focus people from different strands. Studying popular culture is as important as studying people from backward class.

     * Deep study of cultures will help the writers to express the oneness and voice to the people of marginalized groups.

     * The point of studying popular culture let us to know and make us in touch with what is important for the lives of ordinary people.

     * This study helps to shape or manipulate society by cultural forces.

Accusations and relaxations on Cultural Studies:

       On page 46, Culler brings up a series of questions on Cultural Studies.

     What will become of the literary canon if cultural studies swallows literary studies?

     Have the soaps replaced Shakespeare and, if so, is cultural studies to blame?

     Won't cultural studies kill literature by encouraging the study of films, television,and other cultural forms rather than the classics of world literature?

      Literary studies is the study of written works of the imagination, of which poetry, drama and narrative fiction constitute today the most familiar types or genres. However, its ultimate aim is to project society through literary works. Writers consider this as a medium to establish a platform to project society. Later this text based projecting ideas and thoughts have attained it's new form in due course of time. These textual applications of ideas have attained a new form by different critics of different disciplines and changed it's medium in due course of time. Cultural Studies for instance infusing mass media for it's propaganda to explore the ideas. For these upbringing of innovations into literature study will no longer be a defect to kill literature considerably. Every writers knowingly or unknowingly get influenced by their contemporary trend for adopting themselves with their ambiance. Here writers of this present world using pop culture and mass mediums including television, films and so on. These are one way or another reinvigorated the literary studies and also bring back some new touch to classical literature.

      Ultimately, the medium of expressing ideas or thoughts and the way of expressions are notable difference from traditional literary patterns which follows text and writings are sole regimen. Eventually, the standpoint of comprehending cultural studies stresses that but because of literary studies, today's web culture including mass medium have been elevating classical literary ideas in more interesting way.

@Litlearnin.blogspot.com

    Expertise your Excellence with us