Overview

During the years 1880 to 1940, the glory days of the American circus, a third to a half of the cast members were women--a large group of very visible American workers whose story needs telling. This book, using sources such as diaries, autobiographies, newspaper accounts, films, posters, and route books, first considers the popular media's presentation of these performers as unnatural and scandalous--as well as romantic and thrilling. Next are the stories told by circus women, which contradict and complicate other versions of their lives. Across America in those years an array of acts featured women, such as tableaux, freak shows, girlie shows, tiger acts, and aerial performances, all involving special skills and all detailed here. The book offers a unique and fascinating view of not just the circus but of what it meant to be an American woman at work.

Full Product Details

Author:   Katherine H. Adams ,  Michael L. Keene
Publisher:   McFarland & Co Inc
Imprint:   McFarland & Co Inc
Dimensions:   Width: 17.80cm , Height: 1.10cm , Length: 25.40cm
Weight:   0.408kg
ISBN:  

9780786472284

ISBN 10:   0786472286
Pages:   223
Publication Date:   01 November 2012
Recommended Age:   From 18 years
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Available To Order  
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Table of Contents

Table of Contents Acknowledgments      Preface      Introduction      PART ONE. MEDIA DEPICTIONS: THE STORIES TOLD ABOUT CIRCUS PEOPLE      1. Circus in the Established Media: Unnatural, Scandalous, Perilous      2. Circus by Press Agents: Contradictory Extremes      3. Circus Books for Children: Gendered Romantic Dreams      4. Romanticized Books for Men and Women      5. The Complexities of Filmic Representation      PART TWO. CIRCUS DEPICTIONS: THE STORIES CIRCUS PEOPLE TOLD      6. Separation and the Status of Other      7. Entering a Circus Career      8. Behavior Rules for Women and Their Contracts      9. The Rigors of Practice      10. Life on the Road and Rails      11. Scanty Dress      12. The (Difficult) Road to Success      Between pages 92 and 93 are 8 pages containing 8 color plates. PART THREE. THE CIRCUS COMES TO TOWN      13. The Power of the Poster      14. The Unloading and the Parade      15. To the Menageries, Games of Chance and the Sideshows      16. Into the Dressing Tents      17. The Big Show / The Circus Gaze      18. Late-Night Girlie Shows      PART FOUR. CIRCUS WOMEN RANKED AND SEEN      19. Ballet Girls      20. Statuary/Tableaux Artists      21. Mostly Stationary Freaks      22. The Silent Assistant and the Magic Act      23. Equestrians      24. Trainers of Wild Animals      25. Aerial Artists      26. Bike/Car Tricksters      27. Sharpshooters      28. Clowns      29. Circus Managers/Owners      30. Toward the End of a Career      Conclusion      Works Cited      Index     

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valuable...recommended --Choice.

valuable...recommended --<i>Choice</i>.

Author Information

Katherine H. Adams is a professor emerita of the Department of English at Loyola University New Orleans. The late Michael L. Keene was a professor emeritus of English at the University of Tennessee Knoxville.

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