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Keywords
by: Raymond Williams

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Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 302
EAN: 9780006861508
ISBN: 0006861504
Label: Fontana Press
Manufacturer: Fontana Press
Number Of Pages: 352
Publication Date: February 25, 1988
Publisher: Fontana Press
Studio: Fontana Press
Sales Rank: 23993

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New Keywords: A Revised Vocabulary of Culture and Society

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- Simply excellent and classic book
This is one of the few textbooks from my university degree course that I recommend to general readers. It might have its roots in academia but this book is vital reading for anybody even remotely interested in literature, sociology, psychology, epistemology or history (or, of course, etymology, which is the foundation it's built upon).

Put simply, Williams takes common words and critically evaluates their origins. Words such as 'art' or 'culture'... Where do they come from? What is the significance of their original meanings and what can it tell us about the modern usage? How does the meaning of words change, and what causes them to change? The book doesn't necessarily answer these questions but rather suggests, by example, what ... Read More:

Rating:

- vital to history students
Ever had to define a historical term in an essay? Looked frantically through a dictionary and thrown it at the wall for being unhelpful? You need this book, which gives you a complete history of the changing definitions of some of the most important words for historians. Yes it is dry, yes it is extremely boring, but it is also invaluable when you're writing that all-important essay.

Rating:

- Mediocre and outdated
Raymond Williams has a high reputation and was one of the pioneers of Marxist literary criticism in Britain. However, this glossary of 'keywords' is insubstantial and dated. The definitions are not sufficiently detailed and many words one might legitimately expect to find, aren't included. For those interested in Williams' work, I suggest 'The Country and the City.' 'Keywords' is a nice idea, but lacks breadth and vigor. Do not buy it. You may think it will come in useful at a later date: believe me, it won't.

Rating:

- A sound explanation of the concepts of the modren world.
Williams book is a very useful one. It offers a wide variety of explanations of the concepts,institutions and values which have shaped the world over the centuries. Ranging from the traditional ideas of family to lesser investigated areas such as intellect and dialect. An important book and one which anyone interested in such an area should own.

Books : Keywords