Pop Culture Definition

Before one can effectively study popular culture, they must first develop a working definition of what that is. This is difficult to do as scholars have been unable to develop a common definition; resulting in the term having several different meanings. This is because the terms “popular” and “culture” have so many different meanings individually, the combination of the terms leaves a large amount of space for interpretation. In the textbook “Cultural Theory and Popular Culture” John Storey lays out the six most common definitions of popular culture this exposition will explore the definition and apply it to the popular culture artifact “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” a television show created by Joss Whedon.

Christopher Nolan’s film ‘The Dark Knight’ explores the nature of good and evil, which lies at the heart of The Dark Knight's meaning. Core characters like Batman and The Joker make this theme clear. Each character tests one another on their limits and morals, and makes them question their role as either a hero or villain. Good and evil are clear in the beginning of the film, but are toyed with after the film progresses. The dark aura of the film accentuates the impact the Joker has on Harvey when he falls from the ‘white knight’ persona to the villainous ‘two-face’ character.

This scene illustrates the kind of influence that Batman has established over the people of Gotham. The Joker goes on a killing spree he wants Batman to reveal as his true identity to the public. Batman probably wouldn’t have not existed if it weren’t for the Joker. His credibility came into question. Before this, however, Batman gains another powerful ally in the form of district attorney Harvey Dent, who utters the words, “ you either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become a villain.”

Fictional books may not be practical or genuine, but they give the reader a sense of being there with the characters, allowing them to observe things from their perspectives. The readers are then able to connect with them through the emotions that are explained.

A good general definition of fan fiction is “an amateur-written story that is either set in the same setting as a popular work and/or it involves characters from a popular work” (Thompson). Saying this, however, can also be a bit misleading, for, although fan fiction is generally “amateur” in nature, it isn’t necessarily not as good as its original source material. While some fan fiction may be written by beginner writers who can barely string a plot together, much more of it is created by serious individuals who know what they are doing, and indeed, it is quite possible to find fan fictions that are on par with professional writers. With an idea of what fan fiction truly is, its history before, and including the internet can be delved into.

We have all seen pop culture references to little people from books that later lead to featured movies, like Gulliver's Travels or the Lord of the Rings. Most will write this off figments of fantasy or sci-fi writer imaginations. But, what if I told you there is evidence that civilizations of very small humans -- many smaller than modern dwarfs and midgets -- did indeed exist all over the planet, in our ancient past?

values, as well as, influences the actions of society. Social media, as well as the natural

In comics, superheroes are portrayed to have great qualities such as strong, fearlessness and selflessness, however they have weaknesses and limitations that make then even more human and relatable to the readers, some of the limitations may be either physical and/or behavioral. Alfred gives Bruce Wayne an important and essential advice, “Know your limits, Master Wayne” (Dark Knight). It is important, because Alfred recognizes that Bruce Wayne is not the young superheroes he used to be, while Bruce Wayne does not. By emphasizing “limits” on Bruce Wayne, Alfred worries for Bruce whether he will be killed or not in one of his superhero springs. By choosing to ignore Alfred, Bruce shows that he is going through a life crises, because he clearly cares more about being Batman rather than his well-being. In Batman: The

Fanfiction writers take canonical characters, settings and storylines – whether they’re from a video game, a book, a television series or a movie- and make it their own by toying with them. For me, the whole point of reading fan stories is to be entertained, but also to develop a critical mind towards the original content.

Fiction is all over the world, and most people have been influenced by a fiction story, whether the influence is noticed or not. Authors of fiction stories have written for many different reasons. Most authors write to express their life experiences or relationships, where the fiction characters represent real people in the author’s life. Fiction changes the

Each novel includes a different spin on the monomyth. However, pop culture also follows a similar format. My favorite band, Chiodos, includes a song on an older album that alludes to the albatross and limitation of life. The song is named “We swam from Albatross, the Day we lost Kailey Cost”, the tone of the song releases a melancholy mood and harsh, slow drums and guitar sounds. These interesting and relevant lyrics partake, “ There in the heart that will never be filled and we will wait, we'll wait in that place, Still, all I’m looking for is something, something that I’ve found, we can't go back... If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one? Everything that happened between us was real...So say goodbye now” (Bone Palace Ballet 2008).

Popular culture is everywhere. The book definition says pop culture is a collection of thoughts, ideas, attitudes, perspectives, images, and more preferred by the mainstream population. Popular culture, regardless of the generation or era, consistently focuses on music, fashion, expressions, and values.

With the advancement of technology bridging the gap between countries, communication has traveled a long way from where it was in the past. With this development comes the fact that countries are becoming closer and closer. This closeness has led to the diffusion of pop culture all across the world. Along with the spread of pop culture, there has also been an establishment of an idea of what is popular in a certain country. Having this establishment let’s others outside of a country configure an image of what the people and country are like. However, many times, these views are disfigured. More often than not the people are misinformed and thus, the images created are not an accurate depiction of the country and its people. It is because

Fantasy is what dreams are made of. Fiction is what form these dreams take. Fantasy fiction meanwhile is a genre which has its roots in legends, myths, magic, supernatural and the impossible. It combines the ___of fantasy and the make-belief nature of fiction to create an out of the world (literally!) work of art. Fantasy fiction may not necessarily be only literature, it can be plays, movies, shows or even video games. It is everything that is missing in the real world. Also the thing about fantasy fiction is that we can never be sure that it doesn’t exist because of the sheer detailing and the fact that the magic world is hidden even in the story.

The study of popular culture is useful in many ways. To specify, this course has reached its three intended main ideas: what it means to be an American, how to be consumption-conscious, and how to apply these studies in our own lives. Jim Cullen puts this in a less specific sense, arguing that the study of popular culture can “afford valuable clues – about collective fears, hopes, and debates” (Cullen, The Art of Democracy, 2). We study these clues to understand the world around us, as well as why we do what we do as Americans and as humans. I will be touching on themes that relate to this quotation by Cullen, escapism, exploitation, and globalization, and how these themes relate to the course goals.