Long a symbol of American culture, the banjo actually originated in Africa before European-Americans adopted it. Karen Linn shows how the banjo--despite design innovations and several modernizing agendas--has failed to escape its image as a "half-barbaric" instrument symbolic of antimodernism and sentimentalism. Caught in the morass of American racial attitudes and often used to express ambivalence toward modern industrial society, the banjo stood in opposition to the "official" values of rationalism, modernism, and ...
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Long a symbol of American culture, the banjo actually originated in Africa before European-Americans adopted it. Karen Linn shows how the banjo--despite design innovations and several modernizing agendas--has failed to escape its image as a "half-barbaric" instrument symbolic of antimodernism and sentimentalism. Caught in the morass of American racial attitudes and often used to express ambivalence toward modern industrial society, the banjo stood in opposition to the "official" values of rationalism, modernism, and belief in the beneficence of material progress. Linn uses popular literature, visual arts, advertisements, film, performance practices, instrument construction and decoration, and song lyrics to illustrate how notions about the banjo have changed. Linn also traces the instrument from its African origins through the 1980s, alternating between themes of urban modernization and rural nostalgia. She examines the banjo fad of bourgeois Northerners during the late nineteenth century; the African-American banjo tradition and the commercially popular cultural image of the southern black banjo player; the banjo's use in ragtime and early jazz; and the image of the white Southerner and mountaineer as banjo player.
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Add this copy of That Half-Barbaric Twang: the Banjo in American Popular to cart. $15.28, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Movies rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Illini Books.
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Add this copy of That Half-Barbaric Twang: the Banjo in American Popular to cart. $15.28, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Ruby rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Illini Books.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of That Half-Barbaric Twang: the Banjo in American Popular to cart. $17.19, good condition, Sold by Orphans Treasure Box rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Champaign, IL, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Illini Books.
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Good. Size: 9x5x0; Ships quickly. Almost very good. Mild shelf/reading wear. Mild bumping to cover. Moderate foxing to outer edge. Orphans Treasure Box sells books to raise money for orphans and vulnerable kids.
Add this copy of That Half-Barbaric Twang the Banjo in American Popular to cart. $24.46, very good condition, Sold by True Oak Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Highland, NY, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by University of Illinois Press.
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Very Good. Music In American Life; B&W Illustrations; 185 pages; Front cover opens slightly when book is laid flat. Very Good condition otherwise. No other noteworthy defects. No markings.; -We offer free returns for any reason and respond promptly to all inquiries. Your order will be packaged with care and ship on the same or next business day. Buy with confidence.
Add this copy of That Half-Barbaric Twang: the Banjo in American Popular to cart. $26.97, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1991 by University of Illinois Press.
Add this copy of That Half-Barbaric Twang: the Banjo in American Popular to cart. $39.00, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Illini Books.
Add this copy of That Half-Barbaric Twang: the Banjo in American Popular to cart. $56.95, very good condition, Sold by Defunct Books rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Nashville, TN, UNITED STATES, published 1991 by University of Illinois Press.
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Very Good in Very Good jacket. Book Dust jacket has edge wear, creases, scratches, minor scuffs, rubbed corners/spine. Boards have edge wear, rubbed corners/spine. Bent page corners. No writing. Very good.
Add this copy of That Half-Barbaric Twang: the Banjo in American Popular to cart. $58.88, new condition, Sold by Just one more Chapter, ships from Miramar, FL, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Illini Books.
