Alberto Mario Banti's 'Wonderland' Explores Mass Culture from Disney to Pink Floyd
Alberto Mario Banti, professor of contemporary history at the University of Pisa, has published 'Wonderland. La cultura di massa da Walt Disney ai Pink Floyd' with Laterza. The 608-page book traces the evolution of mass culture from 1933—the premiere of Disney's 'Three Little Pigs'—through the rise of countercultures in the 1960s-70s, the end of the Hollywood Renaissance, and the dominance of media corporations. Banti contrasts mainstream entertainment with underground movements, highlighting rock music as a key expression of counterculture, embodied by artists like the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Jimi Hendrix. The analysis extends to the fragmentation of global music scenes and the rise of user-generated culture on the web. The book is priced at €29 and aims to provide a structured yet accessible framework for navigating an overwhelming archive of cultural data.
Key facts
- Alberto Mario Banti is the author of 'Wonderland. La cultura di massa da Walt Disney ai Pink Floyd'.
- The book is published by Laterza in 2017, 608 pages, €29, ISBN 9788858129210.
- Banti is a professor of contemporary history at the University of Pisa.
- The starting point is the 1933 premiere of Disney's 'Three Little Pigs' as a prototype of mainstream entertainment.
- Counterculture is exemplified by rock music and artists like Beatles, Dylan, Hendrix.
- The book covers the transition from Hollywood Renaissance to corporate media giants.
- It discusses the fragmentation of global music scenes and the impact of web and user-generated culture.
- The review was written by Marilena Di Tursi for Artribune.
Entities
Artists
- Alberto Mario Banti
- Walt Disney
- Pink Floyd
- Beatles
- Bob Dylan
- Jimi Hendrix
- Marilena Di Tursi
Institutions
- University of Pisa
- Laterza
- Artribune
- Corriere del Mezzogiorno
- Corriere della Sera
- Segno arte contemporanea
Locations
- Pisa
- Italy
- Bari
- United States