Too Much of a Good Thing: Mae West As Cultural Icon - Tapa blanda

Curry, Ramona

 
9780816627912: Too Much of a Good Thing: Mae West As Cultural Icon
Tapa blanda
ISBN 10: 0816627916 ISBN 13: 9780816627912
Editorial: University of Minnesota Press, 1996

Sinopsis

The first examination of Mae West's meaning in American popular culture.

Before Madonna, before Marilyn, there was Mae. The impact of Mae West-through her films, attitude, and aphorisms (“Too much of a good thing can be wonderful”; “Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”)-continues to reverberate through American popular culture fifteen years after her death. In Too Much of a Good Thing, Ramona Curry examines the interplay between West’s bawdy, worldly persona and twentieth-century gender and media politics.

Although West has remained an important figure, her image has fulfilled varied cultural functions. In the thirties, she was a lightning rod for debates over morality and censorship. In the seventies, the complexity of her portrayal of gender made her a controversial figure for both the gay rights and feminist movements. Curry analyzes the symbolic roles West has occupied, arguing that she represents a carefully orchestrated transgression of race, class, and gender expectations, a transgression expressed through West's spectacular costumes, her distinctive performance style, and her on- and off-screen relations with African Americans and gay men. In addition, Too Much of a Good Thing takes a historical look at West’s disruptive power as a comedian, a primary source of her continuing appeal.

Moving beyond a detailed examination of Mae West’s place in American popular culture, Curry illustrates how icons of pop culture often distill contested social issues, serving diverse and even contradictory political functions. Curry then proposes a model for cultural studies that integrates history, media, and feminist theory. A pithy and innovative look at what Mae West means, Too Much of a Good Thing is must reading for fans, film buffs, and anyone interested in how popular culture evolves and circulates in the United States.

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Acerca del autor

Ramona Curry is assistant professor of English at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

De la contraportada

Before Madonna, before Marilyn, there was Mae. The impact of Mae West - through her films, attitude, and aphorisms ("Too much of a good thing can be wonderful"; "Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me?") - continues to reverberate through American popular culture more than fifteen years after her death. In Too Much of a Good Thing, Ramona Curry examines the interplay between West's bawdy, worldly persona and twentieth-century gender and media politics. Although West has remained an important figure, her image has fulfilled varied cultural functions. In the thirties, she was a lightning rod for debates over morality and censorship. In the seventies, the complexity of her portrayal of gender made her a controversial figure for both the gay rights and feminist movements. Curry not only analyzes the symbolic roles West has occupied, arguing that the entertainer represents a carefully orchestrated transgression of race, class, and gender expectations, she also illustrates how icons of pop culture often distill contested social issues, serving diverse and even contradictory political functions. A pithy and innovative look at what Mae West means, Too Much of a Good Thing is must reading for fans, film buffs, and anyone interested in how popular culture evolves and circulates in the United States.

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Editorial
University of Minnesota Press
Año de publicación
1996
Idioma
Inglés
ISBN 10 
0816627916
ISBN 13 
9780816627912
Encuadernación
Tapa blanda
Número de páginas
240
Contacto del fabricante
no disponible
Persona responsable
no disponible

Otras ediciones populares con el mismo título

9780816627905: Too Much Of A Good Thing: Mae West as Cultural Icon

Edición Destacada

ISBN 10:  0816627908 ISBN 13:  9780816627905
Editorial: University of Minnesota Press, 1996
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