Overview

Gossip is one of the most common, and most condemned, forms of discourse in which we engage - even as it is often absorbing and socially significant, it is also widely denigrated. This volume examines fascinating moments in the history of gossip in America, from witchcraft trials to People magazine, helping us to see the subject with new eyes.

Full Product Details

Author:   Kathleen Feeley ,  Jennifer Frost
Publisher:   Palgrave Macmillan
Imprint:   Palgrave Macmillan
Dimensions:   Width: 14.00cm , Height: 1.80cm , Length: 21.60cm
Weight:   4.581kg
ISBN:  

9781137442291

ISBN 10:   1137442298
Pages:   269
Publication Date:   20 June 2014
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

"Introduction; Kathleen Feeley and Jennifer Frost 1. ""They make one very handsome Mirkin amongst them"": Gossip and Church Politics in Seventeenth-Century Virginia; Christine Eisel 2. ""The Time When There Was So Much Talk of the Witchcraft in this Country"": Gossip and the Essex County Witchcraft Crisis of 1692; Mary Beth Norton 3. Governed Gossip: The Personal Letters and Public Purpose of Philip Ludwell in Early-Eighteenth-Century Virginia; Virginia Price 4. The Infamous Anne Royall: Jacksonian Gossip, Scribbler, and Scold; Nancy Isenberg 5. ""Gadding,"" ""Gainsaying,"" and Negotiating Gossip in the Antebellum Black Press; Erica L. Ball 6. Gossip Law: Popular Journalism and Transformations in Law and American Legal Culture; Samantha Barbas 7. Diplomacy and Gossip: Information-Gathering in the U.S. Foreign Service, 1900-1940; Molly M. Wood 8. ""As Told By Helen Ferguson"": Hollywood Publicity, Gender, and the Public Sphere; Mary Desjardins 9. Gossip in the Women's Pages: Legitimizing the Work of Women Journalists in the 1950s and 1960s; Kimberly Wilmot Voss 10. The Smearing of Joe McCarthy: The Lavender Scare, Gossip, and Cold War Politics; Andrea Friedman 11. Gossip Goes Mainstream: People Magazine, the National Enquirer, and the Rise of Personality Journalism; Anne Helen Petersen 12. Is Charles Trippy Famous?: Vlog Culture and Twenty-First-Century Celebrity Gossip on Internet Killed Television; Tim Seiber"

Reviews

'A magnificent and wondrously wide-ranging anthology of articles on 350 years of gossip about politics, power, diplomacy, celebrity, marriage, morals, murder, mayhem, love, and, of course, sex in its multiple variations, When Private Talk Goes Public has something for everyone who cares about, studies, teaches, or reads American history.' - David Nasaw, Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. Professor of History, City University of New York, USA Brilliantly - and engagingly - these essays explore the role of gossip and gender in defining the history of our society. From the Salem witch trials to contemporary politics, this volume illuminates how our definition of the issues confronting us goes back to a fascinating dynamic of story-telling. - William H. Chafe, Alice Mary Baldwin Professor of American History, Duke University, USA'This lively and fascinating collection challenges many common assumptions about the meaning and functions of gossip. Spanning American history from witchcraft trials in the Colonial era to internet blogging in the 21st century, these essays show how gossip has blurred the lines between public and private life. Whether causing scandal or providing social cohesion, gossip remains a central feature of American life. A great read full of surprises!' - Elaine Tyler May, author of America and the Pill: A History of Promise, Peril, and Liberation

Author Information

Christine Eisel, Bowling Green State University, USA Mary Beth Norton, Cornell University; USA Virginia Price, Historic American Buildings Survey, National Park Service, USA Nancy Isenberg, Louisiana State University, USA Erica L. Ball, California State University, Fullerton, USA Samantha Barbas, University of Buffalo, USA Molly M. Wood, Wittenberg University, USA Mary Desjardins, Dartmouth College, USA Kimberly Wilmot Voss, University of Central Florida, USA Andrea Friedman, Washington University, St. Louis, USA Anne Helen Petersen, Whitman College, USA Tim Seiber, University of Redlands, USA

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