Cynicism in British Post-War Culture, 2015 Ignorance, Dust and Disease

This book is the first academic text to examine cynicism as a driving force in the context of post-war British culture. It maps a sensibility that transcends divisions between high and low culture, and encompasses figures such as Philip Larkin, John Lennon and Stephen Patrick Morrissey.

Acknowledgements Introduction 1. Annus Mirabilis – Philip Larkin 2. Work Is A Curse – John Wain/Kingsley Amis/Iris Murdoch 3. Just Another Sunday Evening – John Osborne/Jazz 4. That's What I'm Not – British New Wave Cinema 5. I've Heard Of Politics, But This Is Ridiculous – TV Satire/Comedy 6. Bed Peace – John Lennon 7. Quiet Riot – Stephen Poliakoff 8. No Future/No Alternative – Punk and The Cynic Sensibility 9. Before The Moon Falls – The Fall 10. Somehow That Really Impressed Me – The Smiths Conclusion

Kieran Curran is from Galway in the west of Ireland. He is a scholar of Cultural Studies and currently works in the English Literature department at the University of Edinburgh, UK.