A Short History of the Modern Media

Jim Cullen is Chair of the History Department at the Fieldston School in New York and a book review editor at the History News Network. He is the author of a dozen books, including Imperfect Presidents: Tales of Misadventure and Triumph (2007), Essaying the Past: How to Read, Write and Think about History, 2nd edition (Wiley-Blackwell, 2012), and Sensing the Past: Hollywood Stars and Historical Visions (2013).

A Short History of the Modern Media presents a concise history of the major media of the last 150 years, including print, stage, film, radio, television, sound recording, and the Internet.
* Offers a compact, teaching-friendly presentation of the history of mass media
* Features a discussion of works in popular culture that are well-known and easily available
* Presents a history of modern media that is strongly interdisciplinary in nature

A Short History of the Modern Media is a concise history of the major media of the last 150 years, including print, stage, film, radio, television, sound recording, and the Internet. Each chapter includes focus boxes to help students explore the ways specific genres and specific works have impacted the media and popular culture.

List of Figures ix
 
Acknowledgments xv
 
Introduction: Medium Message 1
 
Overview 2
 
Further Reading 11
 
1 Print's Run: Publishing as Popular Culture 13
 
Overview 14
 
Genre Study / Terrifying pleasures: Horror 31
 
Document Study / The ravenous imagination of Edgar Allan Poe 38
 
Document Study / Carrie: Princess of blood, King of horror 44
 
Further Reading 49
 
2 Dramatic Developments: The World of the Stage 51
 
Overview 52
 
Genre Study / Notes from the stage: The Broadway musical 69
 
Document Study / Show Boat: High tide of the American musical 77
 
Further Reading 83
 
3 Reel Life: The Art ofMotion Pictures 85
 
Overview 86
 
Genre Study / Horse sense: The logic of the western 102
 
Document Study / The Searchers: Monumental western 111
 
Further Reading 116
 
4 MakingWaves: Radio in American Life 119
 
Overview 120
 
Genre Study / Worlds away: Science fiction 134
 
Document Study / The Mercury Theater on the Air: Worlds war 142
 
Document Study / Buck Rogers: Finding time (in space) 149
 
Further Reading 153
 
5 Channels of Opportunity: The Arc of Television Broadcasting 155
 
Overview 156
 
Genre Study / Screened realities: Situation comedy 173
 
Document Study / Seriously funny: I Love Lucy 181
 
Further Reading 187
 
6 Sound Investments: The Evolution of Sound Recording 190
 
Overview 191
 
Genre Study / Joyful blues: The rise and fall of rock and roll 213
 
Document Study / ''Beat It'': The integration of Michael Jackson 224
 
Document Study / Speak Now: The gently assertive voice of Taylor Swift 232
 
Further Reading 237
 
7 Weaving the Web: The Emergence of the Internet 240
 
Overview 241
 
Genre Study / Shared exchanges: Social media 260
 
Document Study / Wikipedia: The wisdom of crowds 268
 
Further Reading 274
 
Index 277