Summary of "Culture"

In the passage “Culture,” author Raymond Williams traces the ancestry of the word culture and how exactly it became the word it is today. He started off by stating that culture is one of the most complex words in the English language. The original meaning of culture in the English language was “the tending of something”. This meaning led into the meaning that developed in the 16^th century, when culture was also used as a metaphor towards the processes of human development. However, these two forms are not the most commonly used today. The independent form of culture, which we are familiar with today, didn’t become popular until the 19^th century.

In other countries, such as Germany and France, their versions of the word culture were taking on different meanings. In France, they used culture as it originally was used in English; as cultivating something. In the 18^th century, civilization emerged, and has been intertwined with culture ever since. In the 19^th century in Germany, the word for culture, kultur, was used just like civilization was used.

Williams explains the three different meanings of culture used today. They include the oldest one of cultivating something, the independent noun that usually describes a particular way of life, and the noun that describes the works of intellectual artistic ability. The third form is the latest form of culture, dating back to about the late 19^th century, and is probably the most common use. Since the independent noun of culture has come about, other forms of the word have arisen, such as cultural and sub-culture. In order for these forms to exist, the meaning of the original word must be accepted. Despite this, there is some hostility towards the word culture because some believe it is associated with class distinction. There is also hostility towards it because of the different barriers it can place between different groups of people, both good and bad. Culture is a word that has several complex meanings, and it may bring hostility with it when used.