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. |
From inside the book
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... effect on audiences , its taste - making function , and its relation to highbrow and popular art . The comparison between Emperor and critic is instructive . In the original story , the Emperor's word is sacred . The flatterers who ...
... effects . After much deliberation he settles on “ porridge and raspberries . ” The youth is an avid consumer of art , no less than the critic . He craves understanding of the genre , and cues whereby he can generate and support ...
... effect of the kinds of people that produce and consume cultural objects . Rather , they are a function of the discursive practices that mediate the relationship between art and its public . Spectators and buyers confront cultural ...
... effects of critical notices before and after viewing two kinds of film . Owing to the fact that southern college students liked my " action ” film so much and so thoroughly disliked my “ serious ” film , there was nothing else ...
... effects of discourse practices . They are designed to show that critics matter more for highbrow genres and matter in different ways . First , do reviews influence spectators ? Second , through what processes are the critical ...
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 |