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MARSHALL MCLUHAN Escape into understanding. A biography
Traces the life of the "media guru," contrasts his academic life in Toronto with the glitzy world of New York media, and examines the major themes of his writings
- GenresBiography
Hardcover
First published January 28, 1961
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 17, 2021
W. Terrence Gordon provides a comprehensive and thoughtful overview of Marshall McLuhan’s life and work. The book begins with the media luminary’s familial background in Canada, gradually tracing his course through academia and industry. The author aptly maps his movements across fields of thought and practice, as well as his relationships with the people he knew. A profoundly religious man, McLuhan has proven an enduringly misunderstood and controversial figure. The closing chapters present a sort of exegesis of McLuhan’s thought, particularly with regards to common issues in understanding.
The book itself is simple enough to read, but some extracts included within could have been better introduced and explained. McLuhan’s views on society certainly merit consideration, as does this book.
The book itself is simple enough to read, but some extracts included within could have been better introduced and explained. McLuhan’s views on society certainly merit consideration, as does this book.
September 1, 2017
This book is very well written and deserves a higher rating but and it's a big but. I think this book could only be understood if you already have a degrees in media and linguistics and if you do you don't need to read this book you probably already understand McLuhan. I was looking for something the layman could understand and this is not it! I guess it's Marshall McLuhan for Dummies or a children's version of media is the message for me.
February 4, 2012
Not a terrific read for me. I wanted more of a biography and less of a educational treatise on McLuhan's philosophy. A lot of the book, in fact most of the discussion of field/ground in media, was way beyond my understanding and interest. There were a few bright spots including the explanation of "the medium is the message", but I reeally enjoyed the actual biographical portions of the book the most.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews