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Regionalism and the Reading Class

Online ISBN:
9780226309262
Print ISBN:
9780226309224
Publisher:
University of Chicago Press
Book

Regionalism and the Reading Class

Published online:
21 February 2013
Published in print:
1 August 2008
Online ISBN:
9780226309262
Print ISBN:
9780226309224
Publisher:
University of Chicago Press

Abstract

Globalization and the Internet are smothering cultural regionalism, that sense of place that flourished in simpler times. These two villains are also prime suspects in the death of reading. Or so alarming reports about our homogenous and dumbed-down culture would have it, but as this book shows, neither of these claims stands up under scrutiny—quite the contrary. The author of this book draws on cases from Italy, Norway, and the United States to show that fans of books form their own reading class, with a distinctive demographic profile separate from the general public. This reading class is modest in size but intense in its literary practices. Paradoxically these educated and mobile elites work hard to put down local roots by, among other strategies, exploring regional writing. Ultimately, due to the technological, economic, and political advantages they wield, cosmopolitan readers are able to celebrate, perpetuate, and reinvigorate local culture.

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