Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon my Darlings.   Today’s post is about Pop-Culture and Philosophy Books, a series of books produced by different publishing houses (or for that reason maybe better called a type or style of books), popular in the 2010s for analyzing popular media through a philosophical lens.   I find that these books, which I adored reading in college when I was studying for my Associate’s Degree in Psychology, impacted the way I consumed media and also inspired many of my own analyses of media here on White Rose of Avalon.   For instance, I do not think I would have been inspired to do my Magical Media Analysis series here without reading these books.   I also believe that they may serve as a precursor to the way pop culture is analyzed en mass on YouTube!    

I’m sharing my list of four favorite Pop-Culture and Philosophy books below.    I recently flipped through them again when I found them upon spending some time organizing my library.   It refreshed my memory about how much I loved reading these collections of philosophical essays on some of my favorite media and also inspired this post.    Without further ado, let’s look at my favorites of this type of book!

Number 4: THE WIZARD OF OZ AND PHILOSOPHY: WICKED WISDOM OF THE WEST edited by Randall E. Auxier and Phillip S. Seng

~As I have always adored fairytales and iconic children’s literature, this particular collection exploring The Wizard of Oz is one that was really iconic and very memorable even years after I read it!   I consider this book a great read for anyone who truly adores The Wizard of Oz, as it allows you to gain a deeper understanding of the source material.

Number 3: TRUE BLOOD AND PHILOSOPHY: WE WANNA THINK BAD THINGS WITH YOU series editor: William Irwin and edited by George A. Dunn and Rebecca Housel 

~This collection explored one of my favorite HBO television shows and the book series it was based upon.    I read this collection not long after finishing watching the series and reading the books for the first time, making for a perfect time to explore the deeper possible meanings of the story!   Some of the essays aligned with my own thoughts upon watching the series, which may have been the beginning of my realization that I can look at media through an analytic lens too!

Number 2: THE PHILOSOPHY OF HORROR edited by Thomas Fahy

~I am sure many of my long-time readers will know I am a huge fan of the horror genre, so when I was exploring the Pop-Culture and Philosophy books I was delighted to find one based in the horror genre!    It is a very interesting collection of essays exploring different horror tropes and famed monsters, including Vampires, Zombies, and Universal Monsters.   It is a great book to begin your journey of analyzing the horror genre and thinking more deeply about why these things are considered frightening to us. 

Number 1: ALICE IN WONDERLAND AND PHILOSOPHY: CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER series editor: William Irwin and edited by Richard Brian Davis

~Of course, no other Pop-Culture and Philosophy book ever competed with this really amazing analysis of one of my all-time favorite stories!   I have always been very enchanted with Alice in Wonderland and the tale is certainly rife with different interpretations.   Many of my analyses of the Alice books likely stem from when I first read this book, with my own more complex interpretations growing over time.   Certainly, the more spiritual and esoteric analyses I have of the story are my own, as this book focuses more on logic, madness, and growing up!   I am very glad I read this book in college, and glad I kept it, as it is such an interesting collection of essays.

~I hope you have enjoyed this rumination on how I believe much of the way we analyze media in the modern day likely began with the Pop-Culture and Philosophy books in the 2010s.    Did I mention your favorite in my list of my four favorites?    Have you ever read one of these intriguing essay books?   Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is my stack of Pop-Culture and Philosophy books!

Tarot Note: I have a page offering tarot and oracle readings for those interested in these services!    I am very happy to be offering these readings to my treasured readers at White Rose of Avalon!  Link to page: https://whiteroseofavalon.life/tarot-and-oracle-readings/