Secondary Source Report Title

By Audrey Burton

 

Complete citation: Matthews, Jill Julius. Dance Hall and Picture Palace: Sydney Romance with Modernity. Currency Press, 2005. (Chapter 3).

 

Key Words: Modernity, machines, profit, entertainment, popular culture, photography, film.

Brief Overview:

Chapter 3 deals with the rise of machines in Australia, from the late 1800s to the early 1900s, and the growing demand for up- to- date, new and constantly evolving innovation in entertainment for pleasure.

 

Summary of key points:

In chapter 3, the author explains how the rise of machines came to Australia.

How the invention created marvel and awe in the viewing public.

The author then goes on to explain the need for a rapid, evolving technology development.

Jill Julius Matthews also discusses how the machines went from the public domain, to the private.

 

 

Important Quotations:

“More important than content was the modernity of their very machineness.” (115)

“Another crucial dimension of modernity was newness and constant change.” (115)

“They wanted their knowledge of the world to be up-to-date.” (116)

 

 

Usefulness to our group topic or individual project:

Matthews chapter on the development of machines and markets in Sydney Australia, gives an important insight into the evolving culture and society of Sydney. It would be a useful chapter to use if you were looking at the growth of media in the early days of film, radio and popular culture of the early 1900s in Australia.