British Film Institute The Eloquence of the Vulgar: Language, Cinema and the Politics of Culture

In The Eloquence of the Vulgar, the distinguished academic Colin MacCabe reflects on cultural change from Shakespeare to Derek Jarman, on the institutional forms of knowledge, on the links between popular and elite art, and on the role of the intellectual in contemporary life. A radical argument emerges from the book's diverse concerns. Cinema and television - the new and democratic art forms of the twentieth century - demand a fundamental rethinking of our concepts of language and culture. What is at stake is the very idea of a liberal and humane education. From the Back Cover In "The Eloquence of the Vulgar, "the distinguished academic Colin MacCabe reflects on cultural change from Shakespeare to Derek Jarman, on the institutional forms of knowledge, on the links between popular and elite art, and on the role of the intellectual in contemporary life. A radical argument emerges from the book's diverse concerns. Cinema and television - the new and democratic art forms of the twentieth century - demand a fundamental rethinking of our concepts of language and culture. What is at stake is the very idea of a liberal and humane education. About the Author COLIN MACCABE is Distinguished Professor of English and Film at the University of Pittsburgh and Associate Director of the London Consortium.