Sociology of Hollywood - Gerardo Marti - Davidson College - 2011

April
4
Fame, Celebrity and
the phenomenon of
stardom.
Dr. Marti, Soc 380 Seminar
Hill and Gibson, Chapter 9.
Joshua Gamson. 1994. Claims to Fame: Celebrity in Contemporary America.
UC Press. Pp. 21-28; 40-44; 57-78; 104-107. (R)
From: Chris Rojek. 2001. Celebrity. Reaktion Books.
-- Chap 1, “Celebrity and Celetoids.” (skim for highlights) (R)
Barry King. 1986. “Stardom as an Occupation.” In Paul Kerr, ed. The
Hollywood Film Industry: A Reader. London: Routledge. (R)
From: Richard Dyer. 1986. Heavenly bodies: Film Stars and Society. British
Film Institute. Pp. 2-18. (R)
From: Richard Dyer. 1995. Stars. British Film Institute. Pp. 1-53. (R)
From: P. David Marshall. Celebrity and Power: Fame in Contemporary
Culture. University of Minnesota Press. 1997.
-- Chapter 1, “Tracing the Meaning of the Public Individual.” (skim for
highlights) (R)
-- Also, pp. 52-56, “Celebrity as a Form of Rationalization.” (R)
-- Chapter 7, “The System of Celebrity.” (R)
Leo Braudy. 1986. The Frenzy of Renown. Oxford. Pp. 548-598. (try to jump
to significant points, avoid extra verbiage) (R)
Kerry O. Ferris. 2001. “Through a Glass, Darkly: The Dynamics of Fan-
Celebrity Encounters.” Symbolic Interaction. Vol. 24, No. 1, Pages 25-47. (R)
From Richard Schickel. “Intimate Strangers: The Culture of Celebrity.” Fromm
International Publishing Corporation.
-- Chapter 1, “Magic Bullets.” (skim for highlights) (R)
Recommended: Gorham Kindem. 1982. “Hollywood’s Movie Star System: A
Historical Overview.” In Gorhem Kindem, ed. The American Movie Industry:
The Business of Motion Pictures. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University
Press.
Book Report (option 1): Danae Clark. 1995. Negotiating Hollywood: The
Cultural Politics of Actor’s Labor. Univ. Minnesota Press.
Book Report (option 2): Richard Decordova. 2001. Picture Personalities: The
Emergence of the Star System in America. University of Illinois Press.
Pre-Discussion
Paper.
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