Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and SocietyFirst published in 1976, Raymond Williams' highly acclaimed Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society is a collection of lively essays on words that are critical to understanding the modern world. In these essays, Williams, a renowned cultural critic, demonstrates how these key words take on new meanings and how these changes reflect the political bent and values of our past and current society. He chose words both essential and intangible--words like nature, underprivileged, industry, liberal, violence, to name a few--and, by tracing their etymology and evolution, grounds them in a wider political and cultural framework. The result is an illuminating account of the central vocabulary of ideological debate in English in the modern period. This edition features a new original foreword by Colin MacCabe, Distinguished Professor of English and Literature, University of Pittsburgh, that reflects on the significance of Williams' life and work. Keywords remains as relevant today as it was over thirty years ago, offering a provocative study of our language and an insightful look at the society in which we live. |
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abstract active adjective alternative anarchism anarchist argument association became bourgeois capitalism capitalist civilization common complex confusion conscious contemporary context contrast critical culture defined definition democracy derived describe dialectical difficult distinction distinguished E. P. Thompson earlier sense early economic effect empiricism English eral especially evident example experience extended F. R. Leavis formal formalist French French Revolution human ideas ideology implications important indicate individual industrial Industrial Revolution intellectual interesting kind labour language liberal literature Long Revolution mainly Marxist mass meaning modern sense movement nation nature neutral noun objective organization original overlap particular person philosophy phrase physical popular positive practice predominant production psychology qq.v radical range Raymond Williams realism reference relation relationships revolution seen sense ii significant singular social socialist society specialized specific structure T. S. Eliot tendency term theory thought tion unconscious unfavourable usage word