The novel “High Fidelity,” which address primarily a guy named Rob who owns a
record store in England. It addresses his problems with relationships, but it is also very revealing about the
value systems of subcultures – in this case one about music – in which members place a very high value on
adhering to subcultural values instead of conventional.
Read the novel, which is also a film (but the film has different characters and a different ending), and in the
lecture for Lesson 6 pay careful attention to the news article at the beginning, and the information about
subcultures and the concept of subcultural capital.
Write at least 300 words on the following – you must address each question, with concrete examples from the
book!:In the book “High Fidelity” one of the characters says “What matters is what you like, not what you are
like,” which suggests that your personal tastes are more important than your character.
1) Explain how this idea was expressed in the book by the behavior of the three guys in the store. You can
write about Rob’s girlfriends, but you have to address the store.
2) Address how the guys’ behavior concerning music can be explained in terms of the concepts of subculture
and subcultural capital, concepts which are discussed in Lesson 6. Address 1) what you think is their musical
subculture, and 2) what the subcultural capital is in this subculture. You should draw from the discussion of
these concepts in the Lesson 6 lecture and the associated material in Grazian. Address both subculture and
subcultural capital as both concepts and with examples from the book
3) Address how/if the main characters at the store adhered to this idea throughout the book. Did they change
their view of the importance of taste, and if so, what are some examples?