Youth, popular culture and moral panics
Subtitle: penny gaffs to gangsta-rap, 1830-1996
By: John Springhall.
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: 1998
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 218
Subjects: Popular culture; Youth -- Attitudes; Youth -- United States -- Attitudes; Popular culture -- United States -- History -- 19th century; Popular culture -- United States -- History -- 20th century
Description: John Springhall has written a highly perceptive and entertaining account of how commercial culture in Britain and America has been viewed, since its inception during the process of industrialization, as a force likely to undermine juvenile morals. There has been wave after wave of scares: from Victorian penny 'gaff' theatres and 'penny dreadful' novels to Hollywood gangster films and American 'horror comics'.

A final chapter refers to 'video nasties', violence on television, 'gangsta-rap' and computer games, each in turn playing the role of 'folk devils' which must be causing delinquency. Why particular issues suddenly galvanize public attention, and why so many people have associated delinquency with the 'effects' of 'sensational' entertainment, form the fascinating subjects of this book.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 176-208) and index.