The Visual Focus of American Media Culture in the Twentieth Century: the Modern Era, 1893-1945Wiley Lee Umphlett
Book Review
Umphlett (ret., Univ. of West Florida, Pensacola) follows up his earlier work on sports, film, and popular culture with this more detailed look at media’s impact on society. Aiming to define and explain what he calls “mediated vision,” the author provides a well-researched explanation for today’s fascination with mediated images and the expectation that those images will provide a release or escape from the world. Those approaching this book will need some background on the topic in order to follow Umphlett’s thesis and argument. In his preface, Umphlett states his intention to write a follow-up book that will examine media culture since WW II. This reviewer hopes he makes good on that offer, since such a work would bring up to the present the historical context for today’s media-driven world. The bibliography runs to almost ten pages and provides a vast array of resources for further reading and research. —E. T. Arke, Messiah College. Choice, October 2004. To see a full description of this book, search our online database
Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty.
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Photograph courtesy of Louise Dell-Bene Stahl © 2001