The Rough Guide to Opera (3rd Edition)

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As an entry into the Rough Guide canon, Opera: The Rough Guide offers a slightly breezy approach to the art form, along with a touch of attitude and a tendency toward British idioms. Like its sibling Classical Music on CD: The Rough Guide, it gives brief biographies of composers, plot outlines of significant works, and recommendations for which recordings are best. Oddly, the book takes a number of strange stabs at politically incorrect figures of the past--comparing Wagner to Hitler because of their shared vegetarian eating habits--and makes some downright erroneous statements: Maria Callas was never a student of Rosa Ponselle at all, much less her "most famous student."

Most of the recordings recommended are fine, though there is a limit on how many compact discs are suggested for any given opera (the maximum seems to be three each), and the authors have a strong prejudice in favor of older recordings. These have the advantage of being generally cheaper and often offer great singing, but the sound is usually far superior on more recent releases, and accurate chorus work is a rarity on many vintage sets. Bearing that in mind, this is a useful volume for someone building an opera collection or learning more about the art form. It might be useful to consult this volume, along with other guides, before investing a lot of money in opera CDs. --Sarah Bryan Miller

Book Description

INTRODUCTION

The combination of music and drama is a thrillingly potent mix, but opera remains off-putting for too many people. Partly this is due to the social exclusivity cultivated by many opera houses, especially in the English-speaking world, but the sheer diversity of the music is also a factor. Thousands of operas have been written since Monteverdi and his colleagues pioneered the genre some four hundred years ago, and though many of these are no longer performed the repertoire can still seem daunting. Opera-house schedules place late-Renaissance pageants alongside Italian melodramas or modern psychodramas, and the situation is even more perplexing when you look at the CD catalogue, where you'll find more than two hundred complete recordings of Verdi's operas, for example, and around thirty of La traviata alone. Whether you're new to opera or are already familiar with many of its masterpieces, THE ROUGH GUIDE TO OPERA is the essential guide through this mass of music, providing concise biographies of all the significant composers, incisive discussions of their major works, and detailed surveys of the recordings.

The entire history of opera is covered here, from its beginnings in late-Renaissance Italy to the latest exciting work from contemporary names such as John Adams and Judith Weir. Mozart, Wagner, Verdi, Puccini, Strauss and all the other greats are discussed in depth, as are lesser-known figures from Auber to Zimmerman. Of course, a completely comprehensive guide to opera, even one that restricted itself to opera on CD, would be impossibly unwieldy, so we've excluded some figures we regard as being peripheral, and we've been selective with the output of many composers, concentrating on what we think are the key operas. Gaetano Donizetti, for example, wrote more than seventy operas, but we've concentrated on the ones you're likeliest to encounter either on disc or on stage. Similarly, we pick up Strauss's career with Salome, because it's this opera, his third, that marks the beginning of the work that makes him one of the most successful opera composers of the first half of the twentieth century. To this tally of the top rank we've added some composers who have been unfairly neglected, such as Zemlinsky, Busoni and Montemezzi, some operas that should be better known, such as Cavalli's La Calisto, plus a few masterpieces from the world of operetta, the half-sister of opera.

When it comes to CDs the situation requires far greater selectivity, for the CD era has brought with it a welter of new opera releases - though the bulk of these are reissues of old recordings, with so-called "historic" items (which generally means pre-stereo) now being something of a boom area. There are two reasons for this glut of reprocessed music. In the first place, with classical music rarely shifting units except when an event like the "Three Tenors" circus catches the attention of the TV cameras, few record companies can regularly afford to make a new studio recording of an opera. Most new opera sets are taped at a live performance and then digitally tidied up - a far cheaper process than getting soloists, orchestra and conductor into the studios for a long haul. The economics of opera are also relevant to the second point, which is that the older recordings are often better. More than ever before, opera is a celebrity business, and whenever a label does invest in a! studio session, it's obliged to reduce the risk by building the set round stars who might be appearing in London one night, Paris the next, then turning up in a New York studio for a few days to record something with people they have never met before. Sometimes this system produces exciting results, but often it doesn't, and it's increasingly rare to find new recordings that have the sense of cohesion that was commonplace when record labels used to sign up an entire company to make recordings with a core cast and a single conductor.

And there's one other factor to take into account - the dearth of great singers for some types of opera. In the 1950s there were plenty of tenors capable of producing a memorable Otello; since the 1970s one singer has had a virtual monopoly of the role - Plácido Domingo. The same problem affects Wagner singing: listen to a Ring cycle recorded back in the 1960s and you'll hear amazingly strong and passionate performances right through the cast; pick up a recent set, and you'll find weaknesses even in the major parts. However, the situation isn't as grim as some fogeyish critics like to make out. There are some fabulous young singers on the circuit, such as Angela Gheorghiu, Cecilia Bartoli, Juan Diego Floréz and Bryn Terfel, while conductors such as John Eliot Gardiner and Daniel Barenboim have shown time and again that every generation can find something fresh in the music that has lasted. On top of that, an upsurge of interest in early opera has been fuelled by ear-opening interpretations from a rising number of specialist groups and labels, and there are more top-flight Mozart singers at work today than at any time since the 1950s. Challenging new work is being written, and several opera producers are capable of putting on a show that's as exciting as anything in modern theatre. With a wealth of material old and new to explore, there has never been a better time to get into opera, and The Rough Guide to Opera is the book to take with you on your exploration.

Customer Reviews:

Anglo-Saxon Prejudice - Or, Let's Bash the French!.......2007-08-23

Has lots of good information - on the Germans and the Italians. Mozart, Wagner, Verdi (thank goodness!), Puccini and Strauss get the usual praise, because they are, no doubt, "artistically respectable".

Where it comes to the French, however, good old Anglo-Saxon prejudice rears its ugly head. The only French composers the authors think are at all good are Bizet (CARMEN's obviously too popular to sneer at) and Debussy (which tells you pretty much all you need to know). Meyerbeer (one of the greatest composers of all time) is treated with the usual scorn, and the authors get most of their information wrong. Halevy is a talented composer, but boring (LA JUIVE boring?); Berlioz (BERLIOZ!) is singularly undramatic, more suited to writing oratorios than operas, isn't "whole composed" (typical Wagnerian snobbery - Gesamtkunstwerk and all that jazz), and is like a stained glass window with bits missing; and Gounod, Massenet and Delibes wrote sentimental nonsense for the Paris bourgeoisie. Rubbish! What about giving these great composers the chance they deserve?

A handy little guide.......2007-07-08

I shall review this 3rd edition, but as I write this, the 4th edition is getting ready for release in a week or so. Just be aware of that, and you might want to go for that revised edition.

I find this mid-weight (750ppg) guide a rather handy little book. I refer frequently to it for information regarding recordings that I both do and do not have in my collection. I am always trying to become more aware of what others think and say about various recordings, plus, I am constantly searching for recordings that I do not have, or know little about.

In this respect I find this book quite handy. But, I agree with others, that there are some flaws in it, which, perhaps could easily sneek through, depending on the editor(s) and others. I fully realize just how complex putting something together like this is. (I am currently trying to write a database for cross-referencing my entire music collection, so I KNOW complexity!). I could be critical and give it 3.5 or 4 stars, but in truth, I use it enough to call it "valuable". I consider it a useful enough tool to have already preordered edition 4, mentioned above.

If you are knowledgable about opera, and recordings/artists/composers, you should certainly find you will put this book to very good use. If you are a novice with opera and recordings, etc., you will CERTAINLY find this book very valuable. I do highly recommend it. ~operabruin

***Please note that Edition 4 is now out, so you should check/consider it, instead, as it is updated, and greatly expanded.

Far from "Rough".......2007-05-03

Influenced by the self-deprecating style now in vogue ("The Idiot's Book of ..."), this book carries the title "The Rough Guide to Opera." It is neither "rough" nor for "idiots." Actually, this is one of the finer books on opera I have encountered.
The book is both a textbook and an encyclopedia, though as an encyclopedia the organization is largely historical. One of the things I find most appealing is that composers are largely grouped by musical style/school. This provides significant insights into how (say) the verismo style is related to romanticism, nationalism or modernism.

The chapter titled "Opera since WW II" left me a little ashamed at the number of contemporary and more recent composers I had little or no knowledge of. This raises a couple of questions. First: Where is opera going? Is it possible by analyzing historical trends to predict the future of opera?

Unfortunately the book does not go into this at length, but it is certainly possible to see some trends: more minimalist music; greater use of electronic instruments and synthesizers; a shift away from classical subjects toward themes dealing with "the underclass" or the fantastic. In view of this, a second question arises: Is the implied definition of "opera" as used in this book too limited? Should, for example, such works as "Phantom of the Opera," "Tommy," or "Jesus Christ Superstar" have been included?

One more small criticism: I did not find a reference to Reznicek's "Donna Diana," nor to Dargomyzhsky's "Stone Guest." But all in all this is a tremendously informative and educational book!

Very Helpful.......2007-04-11

As a newcomer to opera, I found this book to be very helpful. It had a little bit of everything- background on composers, plot descriptions of their operas, bios of singers and conductors, a glossary of opera terms (a nice touch), and cd recommendations. I wanted a general guide to opera and this was exactly what I wanted.

A Great One Volume Guide To Opera.......2006-08-20

Put a group of opera lovers together in the same room, and if they survive, and the key word is "if," you'll have quite a group. You'll find some who believe that opera is superior to all other art forms and since they love opera, they're superior too. You'll have your Wagnerians and you may not trust them--fearing they'll begin quoting Nietzsche and hoping the conversation doesn't turn to politics. Then there are those who champion one singer and have unhealthy fixations about the performer. Usually Maria Callas fans fall in this category. There will be those who see opera as a religion and the minimalists who believe sets and stars take away from the beauty and purity of the music. As you're in the midst of these eccentrics, you're glad to find the only sane person in the crowd--the one who listens to the Met broadcasts on Saturday afternoons during the winter and the ball game on the afternoons the Met is on hiatus. Chances are this person is a Verdian. Giuseppe Verdi is the unifying composer and his fans are unifiers. Like Wagner, Verdi had genius but never lost the common touch. He could be as theatrical as Puccini who came a bit later, and when he wanted he could create a spectacle like the Russian epics or a pop like tune in the style of Gounod. Now as diverse as this crowd can be, there's one thing each has in common. Each loves opera but also knows why. They know all the composers, plots, ideal casts, and just about anything else you'd need to know.

Most opera lovers have collections of books too: books about the art form, the composers, the operas and the plots, the staging, and in some cases, the books on which the operas are based. I always find used bookstores to be the best place to find these books since most are no longer published. Also in many opera lovers' libraries are quick reference guides which give basic information about a composer or work. These books are indispensable. THE ROUGH GUIDE TO OPERA is one of the best one volume commentaries I have found. It's perfect for a person beginning to enjoy this musical art form. It has concise biographies of the composers, summaries of the major works, and it's organized in a way that puts the composer in the broad perspective of the day and age in which the composer lived. Seasoned opera buffs will appreciate this volume too. The book also contains information about lesser known composers and works as well as articles that help in understanding opera in general. It also includes recording guides and information about opera's great performers past and present.

While parts of my review may be a bit tongue in cheek, and perhaps irreverent though I would argue accurate, I have been a certified opera lover since I started his school nearly thirty years ago. The music is exciting, the stories intriguing, and the singing can make me feel an emotional high. I always encourage people to explore this great musical form and now I'm going to suggest this volume as well for a better understanding and appreciation of opera.

The Rough Guide to Opera 4 (Rough Guide Music Guides)

Average customer rating:

only worth buying if you don't own the 3rd edition already
Just KEEPS Getting BETTER and BETTER!!!

The Rough Guide to Opera 4 (Rough Guide Music Guides)
Rough Guides
Manufacturer: Rough Guides
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1843535386

Book Description

The Rough Guide to Opera is a unique handbook on the most thrilling of art forms, spanning four hundred years of music drama. The title features lively biographical sketches of some 150 composers from Claudio Monteverdi to Poul Ruders, animating the main events of their careers and revealing their social and musical context. Entertaining accounts of hundreds of operas both famous and neglected and comprehensive reviews of over a thousand CD’s from recent digital releases to the best historical recordings. From historical figures like Caruso to contemporary stars like Bryn Terfel, Renee Fleming and Daniel Barenboim, discover the finest singers and conductors on record. Superb photographs, drawings, and CD cover images make this title an Opera-lover’s essential.

Customer Reviews:

only worth buying if you don't own the 3rd edition already.......2007-09-19

I have owned The Rough Guide To Opera since the first edition came out several years ago. I though the second and third editions were worth buying, but cannot say the same for the fourth edition.

For starters, I expected to see a lot more recent recordings included. Alas, we have the same stalwart recommendations. Yes, Callas' Norma and Sutherland's Lucia will always make the list. But, why not achieve a greater balance. For example, there is not ONE recommendation for any of Juan Diego Florez's recently recorded roles. How can this be?

Furthermore, I think at this point it would have been better to have spun off a separate guide for contemporary opera. This would have allowed for the inclusion of more operas. Take Vivaldi, for instance. In the past five years, there has been a bona fide Vivaldi revival, with many boxed set recordings on the market. Yet, only two of his operas are mentioned- Ottone in Villa, and L'incoronazione di Dario. No mention of Orlando Furioso, which is surely one of Vivaldi's best known operas, ever since Marilyn Horne revived it. Nor Bajazet, for which there exists one of the most critically acclaimed studio recordings of the past few years.

As a final point, the editing has become rather slapdash. The appendix of noted opera singers would have you believe that Anna Moffo is still alive.

Having stated all this, The Rough Guide to Opera is still the all-around best guide of its kind on the market. I just simply advise those wishing to upgrade from the third edition to reconsider.

P.S.- Here's three other superlative guides, that any opera enthusiast should have in their library:

1. Gramophone Classical Good CD, DVD & Download Guide 2007- A fine companion, with reviews that are more in-depth than those of The Rough Guide to Opera.

2. "Third Ear" Essential Listening Companion- The reviews are much briefer, but the content is much more complete. For instance, all of Handel's Oratorios are represented.

3. Metropolitan Opera Guide to Recorded Opera- The main drawback is the publication date of 1993. Also, only staple operas are included. Still, for most entries, there are a great many recordings discussed, each with a great amount of depth and critical insight. In fact, for composers such as Verdi, Wagner, and Mozart, I would rate this guide as the very best. Why an updated edition doesn't exist is beyond me. This book is currently out of print, but used copies can be found for dirt cheap.

Just KEEPS Getting BETTER and BETTER!!!.......2007-08-16

Matthew Boyden, You've DONE IT AGAIN! You've updated your marvelous "Bible of Opera" and, again, increased its useful value many times over!

I have used this wonderful "guide" for 3 revisions, now, and I must tell you that there simply IS NOT another volume of any kind out there that is as much help selecting, evaluating, and assessing available (and not available, also) recordings, including thoughts and assessments of the conductor's individual interpretation, the general overall orchestral playing, the level and condition of singer's input, and general overall sound (individually) of the recording(s), and also gives, in many cases, a "re-evaluation" as to which single recording is the best over-all choice, and why.

Mr. Boyden also pulls no punches...no "favorites" here, coloring his views! Nor does he shy away from telling exactly what is "wrong" with individual performer's interpretations of their role(s)...what they "should" be, and what they "are not", in clear black and white evaluations!

He also gives you hints and suggestions as to where you might find oop, and long sought recordings.

Also, as always, you get biographies of the composers, and an overview of their work, lists of "necessary" works, their synopses, and where/when/and who with, they were first performed, and also the general receptance by the public of the work.

Overall, one of the most valuable reference works on the art of Opera that has ever come along, now updated to Edition 4, and greatly expanded and enriched since the last edition.

A MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED reference work for anyone interested in Opera, and Classical Music in general, or Music History. "WELL" Worth it's GENEROUS weight in gold! ~operabruin

Rough Gudie to World Music (Rough Guide World Music CDs)

Average customer rating:

A useful guide for those unfamiliar with world music
Terribly shallow
Absolutely brilliant, totally essential, the one and only

Rough Gudie to World Music (Rough Guide World Music CDs)
Rough Guides
Manufacturer: Rough Guides
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 1858282608

Customer Reviews:

A useful guide for those unfamiliar with world music.......2002-09-10

This small book is a brief introduction to 100 world music cds. The music covers a very wide range, though there is nothing from East Asia. Each entry is about two (small) pages long: it introduces the artist, and something about the artist's place in his or her culture's music. The writer chooses the musician's most accessible cd, in most cases. This means that some of the recommended cds are too westernized, in my opinion, but the articles do inform you (or warn you) about whether the music is authentic folk music, fusion, virtually indistinguishable from western pop, or whatever.
I am very interested in music, but I didn't know much about music other than western classical music and rock. Unfortunately, for about the last two years I had been becoming increasingly bored with the ordinary music I listened to, and I wanted to try something different. I picked up this book, and I found that it helped me a lot. It is a manageable guide to world music, suitable for people who don't yet know anything about it.
Another reviewer complained that this book was too shallow. I think he was missing the point of the book. Those wanting in-depth coverage of world music can go to other books. This book is a guide for beginners, and is actually small enough to carry with you to the music store. Now I don't need this book: for the past two years I have been using it to help me explore the music of other cultures, and so now my knowledge is deeper. However, for the beginner, I think this is a wonderful book: it is helpful, it points out many artists that are well worth knowing about, and the information in the articles is precise enough to help you decide if a particular cd would appeal to you or not. I've started reading other guides to non-western music, in particular the Rough Guide to World Music, volumes one and two (which, by the way, is 1,435 pages long), and of course these other guides include more musicians and are more definitive, but the purpose of this small book is to help you get started by introducing you to a few of the most popular world music cds. I think it serves its purpose admirably.

Terribly shallow.......2001-10-12

Afro Celt Sound system the number 1 "world music" release? King Sunny Ade's "Ju-Ju" music barely makes the list. Oriental music is completely neglected along with the Scandinavian roots movement. Franco and O.K. Jazz didn't make it? This guide is a joke.

Absolutely brilliant, totally essential, the one and only.......1999-04-06

Simply the best guide to World Music by a billion miles, absolutely essential for anyone with a serious interest in non-Anglo popular and traditional music, ten stars for this book - there are no substitutes and no rivals whatsoever!

The Rough Guide to Irish Folk Music (Rough Guide World Music CDs)

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Rough Guide to Irish Folk Music

The Rough Guide to Irish Folk Music (Rough Guide World Music CDs)
World Music Network
Manufacturer: Rough Guides
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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Customer Reviews:

Rough Guide to Irish Folk Music.......2000-03-18

This "Hardcover Book" is not a book at all, but a compact disc. When I ordered it for the library I work for I was under the impression it was in fact a book. We are an academic library that does not have facilities for a music collection. If you are looking for a nice Irish music collection, this fits the bill nicely, but if you were looking for a book as I was...you will be unpleasantly surprised.

The Rough Guide to Opera 100 Essential CDs (Rough Guide 100 Esntl CD Guide)

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Essential?
The Essential Opera Guide

The Rough Guide to Opera 100 Essential CDs (Rough Guide 100 Esntl CD Guide)
Matthew Boyden
Manufacturer: Rough Guides
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The New York Times Essential Library: Opera: A Critic's Guide to the 100 Most Important Works and the Best Recordings (The New York Times Essential Library)

ASIN: 1858284511

Customer Reviews:

Essential?.......2000-05-11

The value of this book depends on your interests and knowledge in opera. I agree with the previous reviewer on the books' strenghts so let me just emphasize the reasons why I din't like it: 1 - The authors defend their choices by stating that they do not know how to define the 100 best operas so they just pick the 100 essential ones. That seems silly to me. One could have objectively decided what are the 100 most performed or recorded operas and recomend their best recordings. That, I think, would have been a useful introductory text. 2 - Quite aside from the actual choices of operas the chosen recordings are, at times, quite idiosyncratic, just like in the original, full size, rough guide to the opera book. They seem to compensate the choices of modern operas for the "essential" repertoire by picking many old recordings for several of them. For these reasons I can not think of any group of people (begginers/experts/occasional collectors etc..) to whom I would recommend this book.

The Essential Opera Guide.......2000-04-16

If you are new to the area and are going to buy only one book on Opera, this is the one. Essentially it is a book of recommendations - 100 CDs to buy and listen to: Fundamentally it is a well-written introduction to the music, the composers, librettos and performers. 100 Opera recordings have been selected, not for being the best, but for being "key works by seminal figures." The composers are arranged alphabetically (from Adam to Weill) and the works listed chronologically under each composer. The earliest opera listed is Monteverdi's, `L'Orfeo', the most recent, Birtwistle's, `Gawain'. Each recording is reviewed in approximately 500 words. This includes a listing of performers, a cover photograph (useful when searching in a shop, as I found out) and the most recent (almost) catalogue number. The reviews follow the formula of: Introduction, plot, significant points about the music/text and an assessment of the recommended performance. This works well: Context is given to the individual Opera (e.g. Britten is quoted on Tosca; you also find out which Opera was "too tough for the teeth of the Viennese" and who was called an "old crank") and some guide as to what to listen out for in the music (the "darting around" and "shimmering orchestral textures" of Ligeti; the "exhilarating" role of Canio in `I Pagliacci' requiring "stamina, flexibility and power"; the strings imitating the breezes, the bassoon used for comedy/ horn for more serious episodes in Mozart's `Cosi fan tutti' - credited with being "the most perfect ensemble opera ever written"). The recordings are selected intelligently to give as wide a range of performers and performing styles as possible whilst preserving the quality of both performance and recording. They really are benchmarks against which other recordings and live performances can be measured! All 100 should remain in the catalogues of both Europe and North America for a long time (although the selection criteria mean the listed performances are frequently top price). I already own a number of the recordings (some on records) and agreed with what was said about them. As a test of the book, I slipped a copy into my trouser pocket (it is that small), went off to the only decent music store in Moscow (Melodyia) and selected two recordings I would not normally have considered buying - both turned out to be absolute gems! A word of warning - one of the recordings has already changed its cover (the book warns this can happen) but the listings were detailed enough for me to identify it without any problem. I am really impressed by the range of selection, the clarity of the writing, the handy, well-made format - and the price - of this book. It will be an essential guide (not dictator) to my purchasing over the next few years (and the Rough Guide to 100 Classical CDs is almost as good).

Amazon.com

Does watching violent acts make us violent? As Western society becomes ever more media-saturated, this question continues to provoke heated debate. On one side are those who seek to reduce the role of violence in popular entertainment, and on the other are the defenders of free speech and civil liberties. Sissela Bok's Mayhem is an attempt to assess the impact of violent entertainment and to provide strategies for reducing that impact. Her study is grounded in a historical examination of violence in entertainment--from the Roman gladiators through Renaissance theater to the current attempts to regulate the Internet. By placing the current debate in a historical context, she is able to dig beneath the hysteria of the present and find the deeper roots of our fascination.

In exploring the modern role of violence as public entertainment, Bok pursues the middle ground, refusing to advocate outright censorship, but also reluctant to simply deny that there is a problem. One of her solutions is to increase "media literacy"--helping children "...learn to take a more active and self-protective part in evaluating what they see." This seems to be an eminently sensible response, protecting freedom of speech while interrogating the place of violence in our lives. It is not the violent entertainment itself that is dangerous, but its passive consumption by an unquestioning audience.

This is a dauntingly complex issue, and Bok cannot offer easy answers or hope to please all her readers, but this is a thoroughly researched and compellingly stated contribution to an extremely important debate.

Book Description

What is the effect of long-term media violence on our national character? Do we want four-year-olds watching slasher films? Who should decide? While almost everyone has a strong opinion about the profusion of violence-in film, TV, video games, and on line-paralysis sets in when it comes to action. The issue is seen as a hopeless standoff between free speech and preserving public morality. In Mayhem, Sissela Bok reframes the issue. She shows us that we have created a false dilemma and that we need not feel so helpless. Mayhem lays out the arguments and weighs the evidence on each side: the desensitization, fear, and addiction that concern psychologists, pediatricians, and religious groups on the one hand, and, on the other, the threat of censorship invoked by journalists, civil libertarians, and the entertainment industry. The book gives a vivid historical overview of the debate: from Rome, to nineteenth-century attempts to ban all theater, to censorship of the Internet in Singapore and China, and contrasting views of figures as diverse as Martin Scorsese, Bill Moyers, and Judge Bork. As in Lying and Secrets, she puts this thorny question in clarifying perspective, and shows how our ways of dealing with it not only express, but can shape our character and lives. Finally, she takes up specific and imaginative ways to resolve the dilemma, from private measures for individuals and families to large-scale collective efforts.

Customer Reviews:

Apple pie.......2007-09-05

Violence is as American as apple pie. The book considers media violence, its impact, and problems of censorship. Romans feasted on violence. Communal violence was connected to sacrifice. Vicarious terror can be pleasurable. There is the matter of catharsis, a therapeutic good.

Heavy TV viewers, (therefore viewers of media violence), believe that the outside world is filled with threats. Middle class families have an inordinate fear of kidnapping. Children are kept in lockdown.

Numbing absorption in media violence may cause an inability to feel the pain of others. There is something the matter with learning not to feel a thing. Children need to develop their souls.

As stated, the book deals with problems of censorship. Parents, of course, may use the on and off button to control the television viewing of their children.

The author does an adequate job of dealing with the topics presented. The book is fairly academic, (but is free of jargon). There are both notes and an index.

Nothing new.......2000-06-21

I was extremely disappointed in this book, possibly because I expect a great deal from Sissela Bok. There is nothing in this book which could not be found in past issues of popular magazines.

Bok is amazingly uncritical and seems to have little familiarity with fifty years of research on this topic. She casually dismisses the idea that there is no common definition of violence, for example, without explaining that that argument is not generally about violence in real life (although many have argued that punching inflated bobo dolls is an odd example of violence), but that there is little consensus about what constitutes violence in the media, especially on television. When I teach courses in the media, I routinely ask students to identify specific instances of violence in television programming and the range of perceptions is incredible.

There is a lot on nonsense written on both sides of this argument. Unfortunately, Bok does nothing to clarify the issues or the data. I was hoping to be able to assign this book in my courses, but I won't bother.

Important and rational but too restrained.......1999-08-01

Sissela Bok's "Mayhem" takes on the issue of violence in various media and the effects of that violence on the population. The issue is one that seems to be dominated by those for whom reason is not a priority, and Bok's considered and apparently well-researched book is a welcome voice of sanity. (This is not to say that she is the first to deal with the issue honestly and reasonably; naturally, others have done so. Bok, however, does seem to enjoy more exposure than many of the others, whose work has often been relegated to academic fora.)

Bok takes some time to get to what is really the fundamental point of her book and the point from which her theses spring--that violence in the media does have an effect on the population. It would be more accurate to state that she concludes that media depictions of violence have several effects. It is probably a sad commentary on the state of public debate that Bok must take extra care to state the modest nature of the conclusion. Media depictions of violence are not the only factors that lead to these negative consequences, she points out with stress, nor are we all influenced in the same ways. These points, which should be obvious even to those who would challenge Bok's theses and assumptions, seem to take force from Bok's arguments and diminish the power of the book. In other words, the need to deal with disingenuous counterarguments harms the overall result.

Ultimately, it may be that Bok is a little too careful, though she does suggest that censorship on some level might not be such a bad thing. Her arguments may be too restrained out of an effort to avoid the excesses that seem to dominate the popular debate. While Bok certainly avoids any appearance (to me, at least) of being a demagogue or hidebound ideologue, the result is not anything near a definitive treatment of the topic but instead more of a primer. The effort at objectivity is certainly wonderful, and the text is recommended for those who have not given the issue serious consideration. For those who have ruminated at length on this issue, "Mayhem" probably offers little new.

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Mayhem : Violence As Public Entertainment

Manufacturer: Perseus Books Group, New York, NY, U.S.A.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I8WGQA

Average customer rating:
Mayhem - Violence as Public Entertainment
Sissela Bok
Manufacturer: Addison Wesley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O600DM

Average customer rating:
Mayhem : Violence as Public Entertainment
Sissela Bok
Manufacturer: Addison Wesley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O68TKS

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