Fringe and Fortune: The Role of Critics in High and Popular ArtWhy does the distinction between high and popular art persist in spite of postmodernist predictions that it should vanish? Departing from the conventional view that such distinctions are class-related, Wesley Shrum concentrates instead on the way individuals form opinions about culture through the mediation of critics. He shows that it is the extent to which critics shape the reception of an art form that determines its place in the cultural hierarchy. Those who patronize "lowbrow" art--stand-up comedy, cabaret, movies, and popular music--do not heed critical opinions nearly as much as do those who patronize "highbrow" art--theater, opera, and classical music. Thus the role of critics is crucial to understanding the nature of cultural hierarchy and its persistence. Shrum supports his argument through an inquiry into the performing arts, focusing on the Edinburgh Fringe, the world's largest and most diverse art festival. |
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... audience size , 1973–1992 . 4.4 Portion of Daily Diary page , 1994 . 4.5 Map of Fringe venues , 1994 . 4.6 Fringe theater and comedy , 1982–1994 . 4.7 Trends in popular genres , 1982–1994 . 93 94 104 104 TABLES 223 223 224 225 225 4.1 ...
... audience : Surely te God ye must aw realise that ye've bin taken te the bloody cleaners . Ye've been conned rotten , skinned alive and shagged senseless . ... Ye're like a flock o'bloody lemmings . Just because some big - shot American ...
... audience for art , I take a “ discursive ” approach that focuses on the practices that mediate response to artworks . The compositional approach is largely silent with respect to particular reception issues , except to predict the ...
... audience , the kinds of patronage received , the prestige attached to appreciation of various art forms . Moreover ... audience and one or more live performers , for the copresence of performers and audience leads to several important ...
... audience . Even previews have audiences — they are “ exclusive ” only in the sense that these audiences are unrepresentative of the general public . The critics who conscientiously and ceremoniously “ ignore ” the audience take a ...
Contents
10 | |
CHAPTER | 25 |
CHAPTER | 42 |
CHAPTER THREE | 63 |
TABLES | 69 |
CHAPTER FOUR | 83 |
Assembly Rooms | 85 |
CHAPTER FIVE | 109 |
CHAPTER SEVEN | 144 |
CHAPTER EIGHT | 165 |
CHAPTER NINE | 181 |
CHAPTER | 193 |
EPILOGUE | 213 |
NOTES | 229 |
BIBLIOGRAPHY | 265 |
CHAPTER | 125 |