Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society

Raymond Williams’ seminal exploration of the history of meaning of some of the most important words in the English language.First published in 1976 | and expanded in 1983 | KEYWORDS reveals how the meanings of 131 words – including ‘art’ | ‘class’ | ‘family’ | ‘media’ | ‘sex’ and ‘tradition’ – were formed and subsequently altered and redefined as the historical contexts in which they were used changed.Neither a defining dictionary or glossary | KEYWORDS is rather a brilliant investigation into how the meanings of some of the most important words in the English language have shifted over time | and the forces that brought about those shifts.