Wednesday, September 17, 2014

What Are "Cult Classics" In Pop Culture?

The general definition of popular culture, as defined by Raymond Williams, consists of four traits: well liked by many people, inferior kinds of work, work deliberately set out to win favor with the people, and culture actually made by the people for themselves. Another point made is that the amount of people, or "fans," a piece of media must have to cross into the category of "popular culture" is extremely relative. Therefore, what do we classify those pieces of media known as cult classics, or those who may perform at an an average or below average level when reviewed by professional critics, but have an extremely dedicated fan base. These include the TV shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Doctor Who, and films The Rocky Horror Picture Show and The Big Lebowski. In terms of numbers, if we were to compare the bare amount of fans of Buffy compared to Real Housewives, Real Housewives would definitely fall more into popular culture than Buffy would. However, if we merely define pop culture as what is left over after we define high culture, Buffy would fit squarely into that category. Another theory that makes the distinction, if there is one, between pop culture and cult classics is that pop culture is what is mass-produced, while high culture is what is made from individual talent and thought. Again, in this vein, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Buffy, Doctor Who, and The Big Lebowski all classify as pop culture. The most accurate explanation seems to be that cult classics are a sort of sub genre of pop culture, that do not necessarily have to be appreciated by the experts in order to become popular

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