125 ‘High’ and ‘low’ culture What do you think the terms ‘high culture’ and ‘low culture’ mean? Discuss your ideas with a partner. You are going to listen to a conversation between the artist Antonia Morris and a podcaster. Before you listen, read through the statements below and guess who says what. Put an A next to what Antonia says and a P next to what you think the podcaster says. 1 … people like me are not usually associated with … 2 … the tour helped to shift … 3 … artists are often regarded as … 4 … ‘high culture’ is generally thought of as … 5 … ‘low culture’ is often associated with … 6 … the distinction between ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture is … 7 … art is about going on a journey of … Now listen to the conversation. Were your guesses correct? Answer the questions below as best as you can. Then listen again to check and improve your answers. 1 What is Antonia’s profession? What else do you learn about her? 2 What was special about the tour? Describe it. 3 What is her idea of art? Finish the sentences in 4a in your own words. Compare your results in class. Expand your vocabulary: Art and culture The expressions below have been taken from the conversation. Use them – along with your own ideas – to write sentences about cultural events. Mix noun phrases, verb phrases and adjectives creatively. Example: The concert received rave reviews for its stimulating performance of timeless classics. SPEAKING 3 LISTENING 4a 24 b 5 WRITING 6 LANGUAGE 7 Do the following tasks in pairs, then compare your ideas in class. 1 Say what you think about high and low culture. Examples: High culture is often perceived as representing good taste, and/but I think … Many people see low culture as easy to enjoy, and/but I associate it with … 2 Discuss the statement on the right. Do you agree? Why?/Why not? 3 Low culture is often associated with ‘guilty pleasures’ – things we enjoy even if they’re considered silly or not very sophisticated. What’s your guilty pleasure? 4 Think back to Unit 06, where you read parts of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Would you put Shakespeare’s work in the category of high or low culture? Use the expressions above to argue your case. SPEAKING 8 “Art brings out the ‘poetry’ in everyone; that can be through music, painting or language, and it doesn’t have to cost much.” Noun phrases Verb phrases Adjectives rave reviews a rehearsal mass appeal an artistic endeavour a journey of exploration to participate in to be regarded as to tour to shift the perception of to be rooted in tradition uplifting stimulating sophisticated commercial timeless Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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