Popular culture, of course, is not an American invention, and it has a vibrant life in many contemporary societies. But in few, if any,
of those societies has it been as central to a notion of national character at home as well as abroad. For better or worse, it is through
icons like McDonald’s (the quintessential American cuisine), the Western (a uniquely American narrative genre), and Oprah
Winfrey (a classic late-twentieth century embodiment of the American Dream) that this society is known—and is likely to be
remembered.