Adorno on Popular Culture

Robert W. Witkin unpacks Adorno's notoriously difficult critique of popular culture in an engaging and accessible style, looking first at the development of the overarching theories of authority, commodification and negative dialectics. He then goes on to consider Adorno's writing on specific aspects of popular culture such as radio, film and popular music. Preface 1. Cultural Nemesis 2. The theory of Pseudo-Culture 3. The Dialectic of Enlightenment and the Ring of the Niebelungen 4. The Decay of Aura and the Schema of Mass Culture 5. Star Power 6. Situating Music Socially 7. On Popular Music 8. Adorno's Radio Days 9. Film and Television 10. Woody Allen's Culture Industry 11. Walking a Critical Line Home