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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... play was “ impossible . ” In addition , may thanks to Billy Harbin , Deb Brothers , Caroline Cromelin , Ginger Donaldson , Paul Clements , David Arrow , Don Hall , Jason Meyer , and Karin McKie serve as a proxy to all of the performers ...
... play opens in a small venue across from the Royal Lyceum Theatre . A Grand Scam proves to be an insightful and self - referential play about the relationship between performance art , criticism , and the public . It is not well attended ...
... play . King applauds its “ central core ... the notion of something from nothing ... because that , after all , is ... plays to full houses and universal acclaim . Until the last performance . Curiosity finally gets the better of the ...
... plays of violence , murder , rape , apparitions , and spectacle . Such plays pandered to the “ baser instincts ” of ... play who is " oversophisticated ” and jaded . We strongly suspect that cannot be true . Why ? Because the critic is ...
... play the key role in maintaining or altering the hierarchy of objects , as well as the social inequalities with which they are associated . Corporate actors create and support culture through their allocation of resources , opening up ...
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 |