Just curious, since this is not my field as such.  Isn't there a very long tradition of theatrical stars crossing over with a kind of pre-electronic celebrity status?  I think of the "divine" Sarah Bernhardt, Edward Kean (see Sartre's play, which adapts a Dumas play, as a kind of star/celebrity critique), etc., going at least back to the "nine days wonder" of Will Kemp's Morris Dance from London to Norwich.  In short, "celebrity" is not that modern a phenomenon.

Don

___________________________________________________
"Only connect!"   --E.M. Forster

Donald F. Larsson, Professor
English Department, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Mail: 230 Armstrong Hall, Minnesota State University
        Mankato, MN  56001
Office Phone: 507-389-2368
________________________________________
From: Film and TV Studies Discussion List [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Corinna Tomrley [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Friday, January 22, 2010 5:13 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [SCREEN-L] Star/Celebrity studies

Hi

I'm writing about the move from Star studies to Celebrity studies - perhaps
an inevitable development in our celebrity-saturated culture. There's
reasons for arguing why it's happened both academically as well as in
everyday life... however I wondered if people doing work in this area are
all calling it celebrity studies? Does anyone still refer to their work as
'Star Studies'? Even though I can think of some argument to say that a
particular article or piece of research is more about the 'star' than about
'celebrity'; I wonder if, as a field, celebrity studies has become an all
encompassing term?

Be great to hear feedback on this, especially if you or anyone you know of
is still using 'star studies'!

Thanks
Corinna
--

Corinna Tomrley
Centre for Women's Studies
University of York

http://www.rawnervebooks.co.uk/FSUK.html

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