The word “culture” is used in Jonathan Culler’s third chapter in “Literary Theory A Very Short Introduction” in several different contexts. As this chapter is about cultural studies, the word “culture” itself is used both within and apart from the context of cultural studies. Culler’s use of the word “culture” differs with every sentence he uses it in. Often, the word “culture” is used to describe both a body of people and the social ecosystem that they exist in. It’s a term that looks at a greater shared understanding of how things work, like on page 45 when Culler describes the slight differences in violent sports. He compares wrestling and boxing and explains how the audiences and reactions of the performers in both of these fields are very different, despite having many similarities in their activities. He then states, “Investigating cultural practices from high literature to fashion and food, Barthes example encouraged the reading of the connotations of cultural images and analysis of the social functioning of the strange constructions of culture.” In this, he is understanding something that drives the sport, something that makes the sport what it is– its “construction”. Culler examines how even minor cultural differences, such as mannerisms or audience reactions, shape the experience of similar activities, like wrestling and boxing. These differences are so significant that they make them culturally distinct despite their shared nature of being violence-based sports.
Separately, Culler describes culture as something similar to a system, rather than just being the characteristics of a group of people. He states, “Barthes is especially interested in demystifying what in culture comes to seem natural by showing that it is based on contingent, historical constructions. In analysing cultural practices, he identifies the underlying conventions and their social implications.” Specifically, the word “in” before culture labels it as something that can be entered or participated in, but is not necessarily something you can exit. Culler’s word choices also enforced this by explaining “culture” as a system. He states, “But what is the relation between literary studies and cultural studies? In its broadest conception, the project of cultural studies to understand the functioning of culture, particularly in the moden fury.” Culler talks about how culture is something that needs to ”function” on its own because it is so intricate that it needs to feed itself to expand itself. He suggests that culture functions like a self-sustaining system. It continuously expands through participation and social interaction. Since culture is present in all aspects of life, one cant necessarily “exit” it either. It is an ongoing experience that evolves with time.
However, what is also important to note is Culler’s reuse of the word “construction.” Although “culture” is being looked at in a different light in this passage, there are still notes of previous perceptions of it previously. I think that this emphasizes how every way that “culture” can be looked at comes back to the same fundamental properties of being a build-up of what makes a group of people. So, Culler’s keyword, “culture” has various meanings that point to similar ideas. The way he describes culture expands on how even the idea of culture is always growing and changing, similar to how his perception and definition of it kept evolving and changing throughout the text.