Tales of the Floating Class — Norman M. Klein

Softcover, 328 pages6 1/2 x 8 inches2018Norman M. KleinGolden Spike Press This collection reveals shared ironies in the arts and urban culture over the past 50 years. It studies the amnesiac effects of globalization upon the narrative structure of television, video, animation, photography, and installation art. It also explores the shapeshifting that has overwhelmed cities and entertainment spaces. Using Los Angeles and the West as one focal point, various case studies trace the growth of the Floating Class, an expression from the late 19th century about the outliers who would mill around city parks, crowding the rallies, while listening to rabble-rousing public speakers. The sites were also known as bughouse squares because they sponsored extreme haranguing of all sorts. In earlier centuries, many had been fairgrounds for vendors selling artisanal goods. After 1850, they became a sounding board for the new city, even for avant-garde movements across the arts. Today, the Floating Cla