In the Limelight and Under the Microscope

In the Limelight and Under the Microscope

Author: Diane Negra

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2011-03-17

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 1441189173

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This timely collection explores the politics of female celebrity across a range of contemporary and historical media contexts. Amidst concerns about the apparent 'decline' in the currency of modern fame ('famous for being famous'), as well as debates about the shifting parameters of public/private visibility, it is female celebrities who are positioned as the most active discursive terrain. This collection seeks to interrogate such phenomena by forging a greater conceptual, theoretical and historical dialogue between celebrity studies and critical gender studies. It takes as its starting point the understanding that female celebrity is a particularly fraught cultural phenomenon with ideological and industrial implications that warrant careful scrutiny. In moving across case studies from the 19th century to the present day, this book works from the assumption that the case study should play a crucial role in generating debate about the dialogue between 'past' and 'present', and the individual essays seek to reflect this spirit of enquiry


Book Synopsis In the Limelight and Under the Microscope by : Diane Negra

Download or read book In the Limelight and Under the Microscope written by Diane Negra and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2011-03-17 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This timely collection explores the politics of female celebrity across a range of contemporary and historical media contexts. Amidst concerns about the apparent 'decline' in the currency of modern fame ('famous for being famous'), as well as debates about the shifting parameters of public/private visibility, it is female celebrities who are positioned as the most active discursive terrain. This collection seeks to interrogate such phenomena by forging a greater conceptual, theoretical and historical dialogue between celebrity studies and critical gender studies. It takes as its starting point the understanding that female celebrity is a particularly fraught cultural phenomenon with ideological and industrial implications that warrant careful scrutiny. In moving across case studies from the 19th century to the present day, this book works from the assumption that the case study should play a crucial role in generating debate about the dialogue between 'past' and 'present', and the individual essays seek to reflect this spirit of enquiry


A Companion to Celebrity

A Companion to Celebrity

Author: P. David Marshall

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2015-12-14

Total Pages: 578

ISBN-13: 1118475011

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Companion to Celebrity presents a multi-disciplinary collection of original essays that explore myriad issues relating to the origins, evolution, and current trends in the field of celebrity studies. Offers a detailed, systematic, and clear presentation of all aspects of celebrity studies, with a structure that carefully build its enquiry Draws on the latest scholarly developments in celebrity analyses Presents new and provocative ways of exploring celebrity’s meanings and textures Considers the revolutionary ways in which new social media have impacted on the production and consumption of celebrity


Book Synopsis A Companion to Celebrity by : P. David Marshall

Download or read book A Companion to Celebrity written by P. David Marshall and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2015-12-14 with total page 578 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Companion to Celebrity presents a multi-disciplinary collection of original essays that explore myriad issues relating to the origins, evolution, and current trends in the field of celebrity studies. Offers a detailed, systematic, and clear presentation of all aspects of celebrity studies, with a structure that carefully build its enquiry Draws on the latest scholarly developments in celebrity analyses Presents new and provocative ways of exploring celebrity’s meanings and textures Considers the revolutionary ways in which new social media have impacted on the production and consumption of celebrity


The Drama of Celebrity

The Drama of Celebrity

Author: Sharon Marcus

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2020-08-11

Total Pages: 324

ISBN-13: 0691210187

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Why do so many people care so much about celebrities? Who decides who gets to be a star? What are the privileges and pleasures of fandom? Do celebrities ever deserve the outsized attention they receive? In this fascinating and deeply researched book, Sharon Marcus challenges everything you thought you knew about our obsession with fame. Icons are not merely famous for being famous; the media alone cannot make or break stars; fans are not simply passive dupes. Instead, journalists, the public, and celebrities themselves all compete, passionately and expertly, to shape the stories we tell about celebrities and fans. The result: a high-stakes drama as endless as it is unpredictable. Drawing on scrapbooks, personal diaries, and vintage fan mail, Marcus traces celebrity culture back to its nineteenth-century roots, when people the world over found themselves captivated by celebrity chefs, bad-boy poets, and actors such as the "divine" Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923), as famous in her day as the Beatles in theirs. Known in her youth for sleeping in a coffin, hailed in maturity as a woman of genius, Bernhardt became a global superstar thanks to savvy engagement with her era's most innovative media and technologies: the popular press, commercial photography, and speedy new forms of travel. Whether you love celebrity culture or hate it, The Drama of Celebrity will change how you think about one of the most important phenomena of modern times.


Book Synopsis The Drama of Celebrity by : Sharon Marcus

Download or read book The Drama of Celebrity written by Sharon Marcus and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2020-08-11 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why do so many people care so much about celebrities? Who decides who gets to be a star? What are the privileges and pleasures of fandom? Do celebrities ever deserve the outsized attention they receive? In this fascinating and deeply researched book, Sharon Marcus challenges everything you thought you knew about our obsession with fame. Icons are not merely famous for being famous; the media alone cannot make or break stars; fans are not simply passive dupes. Instead, journalists, the public, and celebrities themselves all compete, passionately and expertly, to shape the stories we tell about celebrities and fans. The result: a high-stakes drama as endless as it is unpredictable. Drawing on scrapbooks, personal diaries, and vintage fan mail, Marcus traces celebrity culture back to its nineteenth-century roots, when people the world over found themselves captivated by celebrity chefs, bad-boy poets, and actors such as the "divine" Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923), as famous in her day as the Beatles in theirs. Known in her youth for sleeping in a coffin, hailed in maturity as a woman of genius, Bernhardt became a global superstar thanks to savvy engagement with her era's most innovative media and technologies: the popular press, commercial photography, and speedy new forms of travel. Whether you love celebrity culture or hate it, The Drama of Celebrity will change how you think about one of the most important phenomena of modern times.


Celebrity

Celebrity

Author: Susan J. Douglas

Publisher: NYU Press

Published: 2019-03-26

Total Pages: 326

ISBN-13: 1479860921

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The historical and cultural context of fame in the twenty-first century Today, celebrity culture is an inescapable part of our media landscape and our everyday lives. This was not always the case. Over the past century, media technologies have increasingly expanded the production and proliferation of fame. Celebrity explores this revolution and its often under-estimated impact on American culture. Using numerous precedent-setting examples spanning more than one hundred years of media history, Douglas and McDonnell trace the dynamic relationship between celebrity and the technologies of mass communication that have shaped the nature of fame in the United States. Revealing how televised music fanned a worldwide phenomenon called “Beatlemania” and how Kim Kardashian broke the internet, Douglas and McDonnell also show how the media has shaped both the lives of the famous and the nature of the spotlight itself. Celebrity examines the production, circulation, and effects of celebrity culture to consider the impact of stars from Shirley Temple to Muhammad Ali to the homegrown star made possible by your Instagram feed. It maps ever-evolving media technologies as they adeptly interweave the lives of the rich and famous into ours: from newspapers and photography in the nineteenth century, to the twentieth century’s radio, cinema, and television, up to the revolutionary impact of the internet and social media. Today, mass media relies upon an ever-changing cast of celebrities to grab our attention and money, and new stars are conquering new platforms to build their adoring audiences and enhance their images. In the era of YouTube, Snapchat, and reality television, fame may be fleeting, but its impact on society is profound and lasting.


Book Synopsis Celebrity by : Susan J. Douglas

Download or read book Celebrity written by Susan J. Douglas and published by NYU Press. This book was released on 2019-03-26 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The historical and cultural context of fame in the twenty-first century Today, celebrity culture is an inescapable part of our media landscape and our everyday lives. This was not always the case. Over the past century, media technologies have increasingly expanded the production and proliferation of fame. Celebrity explores this revolution and its often under-estimated impact on American culture. Using numerous precedent-setting examples spanning more than one hundred years of media history, Douglas and McDonnell trace the dynamic relationship between celebrity and the technologies of mass communication that have shaped the nature of fame in the United States. Revealing how televised music fanned a worldwide phenomenon called “Beatlemania” and how Kim Kardashian broke the internet, Douglas and McDonnell also show how the media has shaped both the lives of the famous and the nature of the spotlight itself. Celebrity examines the production, circulation, and effects of celebrity culture to consider the impact of stars from Shirley Temple to Muhammad Ali to the homegrown star made possible by your Instagram feed. It maps ever-evolving media technologies as they adeptly interweave the lives of the rich and famous into ours: from newspapers and photography in the nineteenth century, to the twentieth century’s radio, cinema, and television, up to the revolutionary impact of the internet and social media. Today, mass media relies upon an ever-changing cast of celebrities to grab our attention and money, and new stars are conquering new platforms to build their adoring audiences and enhance their images. In the era of YouTube, Snapchat, and reality television, fame may be fleeting, but its impact on society is profound and lasting.


Limelight

Limelight

Author: Katja Lee

Publisher: Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press

Published: 2020-02-20

Total Pages: 455

ISBN-13: 1771124318

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At the heart of fame is the tricky business of image management. Over the last 115 years, the celebrity autobiography has emerged as a popular and useful tool for that project. In Limelight, Katja Lee examines the memoirs of famous Canadian women like L. M. Montgomery, Nellie McClung, the Dionne Quintuplets, Margaret Trudeau, and Shania Twain to trace the rise of celebrity autobiography in Canada and the role gender has played in the rise to fame and in writing about that experience. Arguing that the celebrity autobiography is always negotiating historically specific conditions, Lee charts a history of celebrity in English Canada and the conditions that shape the way women access and experience fame. These contexts shed light on the stories women tell about their lives and the public images they cultivate in their autobiographies. As strategies of self-representation change and the pressure to represent the private life escalates, the celebrity autobiography undergoes distinct shifts—in form, function, and content—during the period examined in this study. Limelight: Canadian Women and the Rise of Celebrity Autobiography is the first book to explore the history and development of the celebrity autobiography and offers compelling evidence of the critical role of gender and nation in the way fame is experienced and represented.


Book Synopsis Limelight by : Katja Lee

Download or read book Limelight written by Katja Lee and published by Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press. This book was released on 2020-02-20 with total page 455 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At the heart of fame is the tricky business of image management. Over the last 115 years, the celebrity autobiography has emerged as a popular and useful tool for that project. In Limelight, Katja Lee examines the memoirs of famous Canadian women like L. M. Montgomery, Nellie McClung, the Dionne Quintuplets, Margaret Trudeau, and Shania Twain to trace the rise of celebrity autobiography in Canada and the role gender has played in the rise to fame and in writing about that experience. Arguing that the celebrity autobiography is always negotiating historically specific conditions, Lee charts a history of celebrity in English Canada and the conditions that shape the way women access and experience fame. These contexts shed light on the stories women tell about their lives and the public images they cultivate in their autobiographies. As strategies of self-representation change and the pressure to represent the private life escalates, the celebrity autobiography undergoes distinct shifts—in form, function, and content—during the period examined in this study. Limelight: Canadian Women and the Rise of Celebrity Autobiography is the first book to explore the history and development of the celebrity autobiography and offers compelling evidence of the critical role of gender and nation in the way fame is experienced and represented.


Understanding Celebrity

Understanding Celebrity

Author: Graeme Turner

Publisher: SAGE

Published: 2013-10-22

Total Pages: 283

ISBN-13: 1446292711

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"An outstanding achievement... Graeme Turner writes with power and persuasion, and brilliantly explores what it is about celebrity today that should concern us all" - Sean Redmond, Deakin University "A key touchstone for celebrity studies. Turner thoughtfully illuminates the variety of production and consumption practices through which celebrity circulates today, whilst remaining sensitive to the complexity of power relations in play. An essential read for students and scholars in the field" - Sue Holmes, University of East Anglia "Cements Turner’s status as the most important figure in celebrity studies... Turner’s gaze fixes on developments in digital, social and global mediascapes, drawing media and celebrity studies into complex critical, political and cultural debates in his indomitable style" - James Bennett, Royal Holloway, University of London "An extraordinary synthesis of research and theory... Understanding Celebrity remains the go-to text of celebrity studies" - Joshua Gamsom, University of San Francisco Where does the production of celebrity end and its consumption begin? Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and reality TV allow us a previously unimagined engagement with the manufactured ′persona′ of celebrity. Understanding Celebrity has become the go-to text for understanding the connection between the production and consumption of this ′persona′. The long-awaited second edition assesses the changing nature of this pivotal relationship in celebrity studies. The book: Explains how social media is key in establishing an online presence for celebrities Critically analyses the changing nature of fan culture within the online environment Delves into a richer and more detailed account of the history of celebrity Examines in greater depth the increased role of reality TV Incorporates recent contributions from feminist scholars to the field Enriched with new examples drawn from popular culture, this is a contemporary and incisive look at celebrity studies. Understanding Celebrity is not only an essential text, but a stimulating read for students studying celebrity and popular culture across media studies, cultural studies and sociology.


Book Synopsis Understanding Celebrity by : Graeme Turner

Download or read book Understanding Celebrity written by Graeme Turner and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2013-10-22 with total page 283 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "An outstanding achievement... Graeme Turner writes with power and persuasion, and brilliantly explores what it is about celebrity today that should concern us all" - Sean Redmond, Deakin University "A key touchstone for celebrity studies. Turner thoughtfully illuminates the variety of production and consumption practices through which celebrity circulates today, whilst remaining sensitive to the complexity of power relations in play. An essential read for students and scholars in the field" - Sue Holmes, University of East Anglia "Cements Turner’s status as the most important figure in celebrity studies... Turner’s gaze fixes on developments in digital, social and global mediascapes, drawing media and celebrity studies into complex critical, political and cultural debates in his indomitable style" - James Bennett, Royal Holloway, University of London "An extraordinary synthesis of research and theory... Understanding Celebrity remains the go-to text of celebrity studies" - Joshua Gamsom, University of San Francisco Where does the production of celebrity end and its consumption begin? Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and reality TV allow us a previously unimagined engagement with the manufactured ′persona′ of celebrity. Understanding Celebrity has become the go-to text for understanding the connection between the production and consumption of this ′persona′. The long-awaited second edition assesses the changing nature of this pivotal relationship in celebrity studies. The book: Explains how social media is key in establishing an online presence for celebrities Critically analyses the changing nature of fan culture within the online environment Delves into a richer and more detailed account of the history of celebrity Examines in greater depth the increased role of reality TV Incorporates recent contributions from feminist scholars to the field Enriched with new examples drawn from popular culture, this is a contemporary and incisive look at celebrity studies. Understanding Celebrity is not only an essential text, but a stimulating read for students studying celebrity and popular culture across media studies, cultural studies and sociology.


Heredity under the Microscope

Heredity under the Microscope

Author: Soraya de Chadarevian

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2020-07-02

Total Pages: 318

ISBN-13: 022668525X

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By focusing on chromosomes, Heredity under the Microscope offers a new history of postwar human genetics. Today chromosomes are understood as macromolecular assemblies and are analyzed with a variety of molecular techniques. Yet for much of the twentieth century, researchers studied chromosomes by looking through a microscope. Unlike any other technique, chromosome analysis offered a direct glimpse of the complete human genome, opening up seemingly endless possibilities for observation and intervention. Critics, however, countered that visual evidence was not enough and pointed to the need to understand the molecular mechanisms. Telling this history in full for the first time, Soraya de Chadarevian argues that the often bewildering variety of observations made under the microscope were central to the study of human genetics. Making space for microscope-based practices alongside molecular approaches, de Chadarevian analyzes the close connections between genetics and an array of scientific, medical, ethical, legal, and policy concerns in the atomic age. By exploring the visual evidence provided by chromosome research in the context of postwar biology and medicine, Heredity under the Microscope sheds new light on the cultural history of the human genome.


Book Synopsis Heredity under the Microscope by : Soraya de Chadarevian

Download or read book Heredity under the Microscope written by Soraya de Chadarevian and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2020-07-02 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By focusing on chromosomes, Heredity under the Microscope offers a new history of postwar human genetics. Today chromosomes are understood as macromolecular assemblies and are analyzed with a variety of molecular techniques. Yet for much of the twentieth century, researchers studied chromosomes by looking through a microscope. Unlike any other technique, chromosome analysis offered a direct glimpse of the complete human genome, opening up seemingly endless possibilities for observation and intervention. Critics, however, countered that visual evidence was not enough and pointed to the need to understand the molecular mechanisms. Telling this history in full for the first time, Soraya de Chadarevian argues that the often bewildering variety of observations made under the microscope were central to the study of human genetics. Making space for microscope-based practices alongside molecular approaches, de Chadarevian analyzes the close connections between genetics and an array of scientific, medical, ethical, legal, and policy concerns in the atomic age. By exploring the visual evidence provided by chromosome research in the context of postwar biology and medicine, Heredity under the Microscope sheds new light on the cultural history of the human genome.


Reality Gendervision

Reality Gendervision

Author: Brenda R. Weber

Publisher: Duke University Press

Published: 2014-03-03

Total Pages: 359

ISBN-13: 0822376644

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This essay collection focuses on the gendered dimensions of reality television in both the United States and Great Britain. Through close readings of a wide range of reality programming, from Finding Sarah and Sister Wives to Ghost Adventures and Deadliest Warrior, the contributors think through questions of femininity and masculinity, as they relate to the intersections of gender, race, class, and sexuality. They connect the genre's combination of real people and surreal experiences, of authenticity and artifice, to the production of identity and norms of citizenship, the commodification of selfhood, and the naturalization of regimes of power. Whether assessing the Kardashian family brand, portrayals of hoarders, or big-family programs such as 19 Kids and Counting, the contributors analyze reality television as a relevant site for the production and performance of gender. In the process, they illuminate the larger neoliberal and postfeminist contexts in which reality TV is produced, promoted, watched, and experienced. Contributors. David Greven, Dana Heller, Su Holmes, Deborah Jermyn, Misha Kavka, Amanda Ann Klein, Susan Lepselter, Diane Negra, Laurie Ouellette, Gareth Palmer, Kirsten Pike, Maria Pramaggiore, Kimberly Springer, Rebecca Stephens, Lindsay Steenberg, Brenda R. Weber


Book Synopsis Reality Gendervision by : Brenda R. Weber

Download or read book Reality Gendervision written by Brenda R. Weber and published by Duke University Press. This book was released on 2014-03-03 with total page 359 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This essay collection focuses on the gendered dimensions of reality television in both the United States and Great Britain. Through close readings of a wide range of reality programming, from Finding Sarah and Sister Wives to Ghost Adventures and Deadliest Warrior, the contributors think through questions of femininity and masculinity, as they relate to the intersections of gender, race, class, and sexuality. They connect the genre's combination of real people and surreal experiences, of authenticity and artifice, to the production of identity and norms of citizenship, the commodification of selfhood, and the naturalization of regimes of power. Whether assessing the Kardashian family brand, portrayals of hoarders, or big-family programs such as 19 Kids and Counting, the contributors analyze reality television as a relevant site for the production and performance of gender. In the process, they illuminate the larger neoliberal and postfeminist contexts in which reality TV is produced, promoted, watched, and experienced. Contributors. David Greven, Dana Heller, Su Holmes, Deborah Jermyn, Misha Kavka, Amanda Ann Klein, Susan Lepselter, Diane Negra, Laurie Ouellette, Gareth Palmer, Kirsten Pike, Maria Pramaggiore, Kimberly Springer, Rebecca Stephens, Lindsay Steenberg, Brenda R. Weber


Star Bodies and the Erotics of Suffering

Star Bodies and the Erotics of Suffering

Author: Rebecca Bell-Metereau

Publisher: Wayne State University Press

Published: 2015-12-07

Total Pages: 373

ISBN-13: 0814339409

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Star Bodies and the Erotics of Suffering offers film buffs, students, and scholars a fresh take on casting, method acting, audience reception, and the tensions at play in our fascination with an actor’s dual role as private individual and cultural icon.


Book Synopsis Star Bodies and the Erotics of Suffering by : Rebecca Bell-Metereau

Download or read book Star Bodies and the Erotics of Suffering written by Rebecca Bell-Metereau and published by Wayne State University Press. This book was released on 2015-12-07 with total page 373 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Star Bodies and the Erotics of Suffering offers film buffs, students, and scholars a fresh take on casting, method acting, audience reception, and the tensions at play in our fascination with an actor’s dual role as private individual and cultural icon.


Female Celebrities in Contemporary Chinese Society

Female Celebrities in Contemporary Chinese Society

Author: Shenshen Cai

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2019-02-15

Total Pages: 235

ISBN-13: 9811359806

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This book focuses on a representative group of contemporary Chinese female celebrities including actors, directors, writers and reporters, notably personalities such as Liu Xiaoqing, Hong Huang, Chai Jing and the most sought after young generation actors, Yang Mi and Guan Xiaotong. It analyses the on- and off- screen roles of these famous Chinese women, and the cultural, gender and social impact and significance embedded in them, whilst highlighting controversial social and cultural concerns and debates in contemporary China. The book furthers the understanding of the role played by contemporary female celebrities who are considered as social, cultural and feminist icons in present-day China, as reflected in their work, careers and private lives, and whose experiences help to understand Chinese women’s attitudes towards key issues such as career trajectories, marriage and family, gender identity, social changes, civil debates and political transformations, all of which are at the center of societal transformation in China.


Book Synopsis Female Celebrities in Contemporary Chinese Society by : Shenshen Cai

Download or read book Female Celebrities in Contemporary Chinese Society written by Shenshen Cai and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-02-15 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book focuses on a representative group of contemporary Chinese female celebrities including actors, directors, writers and reporters, notably personalities such as Liu Xiaoqing, Hong Huang, Chai Jing and the most sought after young generation actors, Yang Mi and Guan Xiaotong. It analyses the on- and off- screen roles of these famous Chinese women, and the cultural, gender and social impact and significance embedded in them, whilst highlighting controversial social and cultural concerns and debates in contemporary China. The book furthers the understanding of the role played by contemporary female celebrities who are considered as social, cultural and feminist icons in present-day China, as reflected in their work, careers and private lives, and whose experiences help to understand Chinese women’s attitudes towards key issues such as career trajectories, marriage and family, gender identity, social changes, civil debates and political transformations, all of which are at the center of societal transformation in China.