Stardom and Celebrity: A Reader

Front Cover
Sean Redmond, Su Holmes
SAGE, Oct 2, 2007 - Social Science - 400 pages
"Acts as a concise introduction to the study of both contemporary and historical stardom and celebrity. Collecting together in one source companion an easily accessible range of readings surrounding stardom and celebrity culture, this book is a worthwhile addition to any library."
- Kerry Gough, Birmingham City University

"Absolutely wonderful. The inclusion of seminal works and more recent works makes this a very valuable read."
- Beschara Karam, University of South Africa

"An engaging and often insightful book."
- Media International Australia

This book brings together some of the seminal interventions which have structured the development of stardom and celebrity studies, while crucially combining and situating these within the context of new essays which address the contemporary, cross-media and international landscape of today's fame culture. From Max Weber, Walter Benjamin and Roland Barthes to Catherine Lumby, Chris Rojek and Graeme Turner.

At the core of the collection is a desire to map out a unique historical trajectory - both in terms of the development of fame, as well as the historical development of the field.

 

Contents

Whats in a Reader?
1
Theoretical Antecedents
12
1 The Nature of Charismatic Domination
17
2 The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
25
Enlightenment as Mass Deception
34
4 Myth Today
44
THATHASBEEN The Pose The Luminous Rays Colour Amazement Authentification
49
5 The Ecstasy of Communication
53
15 The Dream of Acceptability
181
Because Im Worth It
188
16 The Economy of Celebrity
193
17 Sharon Stone in a Gap Turtleneck
206
Privacy Publicity and the Legal Regulation of Celebrity Images
219
19 Celebrity CEOs and the Cultural Economy of Tabloid Intimacy
230
Understanding Literary Celebrity
244
Star and Celebrity Representations
256

Understanding Stardom
60
Theory and Sociological Research on the Phenomenon of the Stars
65
7 Stars
78
Heavenly Bodies
85
8 Stars as a Cinematic Phenomenon
90
Questions of Texts Bodies and Performance
98
Investigating Drew Barrymores Feminist AgencyAuthorship
111
Histories of Stardom and Celebrity
126
11 The Emergence of the Star System in America
132
Celebrity in TwentiethCentury America
141
Celebrities Ordinary People and This is Your Life BBC 195565
156
14 Celebrity and Religion
171
21 The Face of Garbo
261
Looking at Kate Winslets Unruly White Body
263
Media Constructions of Stardom and Jennifer Lopezs Crossover Butt
275
The Osbournes as Social Class Narrative
287
25 Mobile Identities Digital Stars and PostCinematic Selves
298
Celebrity and Its Audience
308
Female Spectators and the Paradoxes of Consumption
313
A Legend is Born Practicing Leslie Cheungs Posthumous Fandom
326
28 Doing It For Themselves? Teenage Girls Sexuality and Fame
341
Some Hidden Dimensions
353
Index
363
Copyright

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Television Studies: The Key Concepts

No preview available - 2008

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