Generally this is the first thing that comes to mind when the term "popular culture" is mentioned. Modern day movies, music, billboards, books, etc. are what we'd describe now as part of our current popular culture. I followed up on Rebecca's blog post where she mentions The Arden Critical Companion on Shakespeare and Elizabethan popular culture, as this is very relevant to my current vein of study.
Gillespie and Rhodes argue that pop culture is currently defined as "cultural products created for the people", and that older forms of pop culture were created "of the people" as "cultural expressions of the people themselves. This older form of popular culture includes events such as:
1. dramatic reemactment of Bible stories
2. festive rituals associated with holidays
3. clowning
4. old romances told through ballads and songs
5. playhouse productions
I submit that there is not much difference between the production of works "for the people" and "of the people", since the popular culture phenomena we are enjoying today is in fact made up of works made "for and of the people". Modern day counterparts of the list above include:
1. Ben Hur and The Passion of the Christ; modern movies on Bible stories
2. our seasonal work parties for Thanksgiving and Christmas, not to mention many family gatherings and parties with friends
3. comedians like Bryan Regan and Dane Cook. Also includes modern comedy movies.
4. listen to any radio station and I challenge you to tell me there aren't romantic ballads and songs. Country music. Pop music. Rock music. These genres all contain love stories told through song.
5. Broadway productions such as Wicked and Phantom of the Opera, still including productions of Shakespeare's own works.
While many people think that the Elizabethan era was so far removed from our current day and age, it really was not so separate. The people of that era had a less sophisticated technological system, a different political system, and vastly different way of providing for the needs of themselves and their families, but they still enjoyed what we enjoy. They cried when we would cry. They too are humans, and as such enjoy many of the same things we still enjoy today, just in a different form.
