Marshall McLuhan

Gregory Betts (Brock University)

Ed. by Cynthia Sugars, University of Ottawa
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.1.2: Canadian Writing and Culture (Anglophone): The Twentieth Century and beyond, 1900-present.
Vol. editors: Sarah Henzi (Simon Fraser University), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Glen Nichols (Mount Allison University), Wendy Roy (University of Saskatchewan), Denis Salter (McGill University), Karis Shearer (University of British Columbia)

Dates

Born 21 Jul 1911
Died 31 Dec 1980
Activity 1931-1980

Places

Born in Canada
Active in Canada

Activities

Primary

Cultural Theorist/ Critic

Resources

McLuhan's Works

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Although he began his career within the auspices of an English Department, Marshall McLuhan achieved international acclaim as the preeminent philosopher of new media and helped to found the academic fields of Media and Communications Studies (also known as Media Ecology). His legacy was shaped, perhaps over-determined, by a series of aphorisms that he coined to articulate and manifest his media theories, including “the medium is the message” and “the global village”. Building from what he took to be the intellectual trajectory of James Joyce, Wyndham Lewis, and Ezra Pound, McLuhan incorporated advertising, popular culture, and media itself into his analysis of the cultural landscape. Both of these iconic phrases underscore his belief that media has a determining effect on content…

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3388 words

Citation: Betts, Gregory. "Marshall McLuhan". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 April 2020 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3055, accessed 22 November 2024.]