Overview

Exploring the provocative intersection of celebrity and the Gothic, this book examines representations of decaying, dead and undead celebrities in literary texts, visual media and popular culture. As far back as the Romantic period, Western culture has figured celebrities as quasi-immortal beings. Challenging popular perceptions about the triviality of celebrity culture, Harriet Fletcher puts forward both Gothic and celebrity as vehicles for understanding how modern society processes death and ageing. With case studies ranging from Lord Byron and Oscar Wilde to Marilyn Monroe and Lady Gaga, Gothic Celebrity examines a diverse array of cultural works, including John Polidori’s short story ‘The Vampyre’, The Picture of Dorian Gray, the Hollywood films Sunset Boulevard and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, Andy Warhol’s silkscreen prints and FX’s American Horror Story. In doing so, it traces the figure of the celebrity through Gothic conventions such as vampires, portraits and ageing bodies as they manifest across literature, film, art and television. Fascinating and original, with shrewd consideration of historical context, this book stakes a claim for the pertinence of Gothic studies to cultural history and media studies.

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9781350447523

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Reviews

Establishing intriguing links between the rise and evolution of celebrity culture from the early nineteenth century to the present day, and the Gothic, as the cultural mode eternally thrust between fame’s necessary renewal and inevitable decay, this compelling study is a ‘must-read’ for anybody interested in celebrity and gothic studies. * Monica Germana, Reader in Gothic and Contemportary Studies, University of Westminster, UK *

Author Information

Harriet Fletcher is Lecturer in Media and Communication at Anglia Ruskin University, UK. Having completed her PhD at Lancaster University, Harriet has several forthcoming peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters on Gothic literature, film, popular culture and celebrity studies.

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