Sharon Marcus Book order

A bold new account of how celebrity works Why do we care so much about celebrities? Who decides who gets to be a star? Do celebrities deserve the outsized attention they receive? Sharon Marcus challenges everything you thought you knew about our obsession with fame. Drawing on scrapbooks, diaries, and vintage fan mail, she traces celebrity culture back to its nineteenth-century roots, when people the world over found themselves captivated by celebrity chefs, bad-boy poets, and actors such as the divine Sarah Bernhardt, as famous in her day as the Beatles in theirs. The Drama of Celebrity reveals how journalists, the public, and celebrities themselves all compete to shape the stories we tell about celebrities and fans, resulting in a high-stakes drama as endless as it is unpredictable

Exploring the intricate relationships among women in Victorian England, this book reveals how they celebrated their bonds through jewelry made from hair and poetry, while also engaging in same-sex partnerships. These unions, often viewed as unconventional, were surprisingly accepted by society and influenced by consumer culture. The narrative highlights how these women enjoyed their desires and played a pivotal role in shaping ideals of love and marriage, impacting social reform and challenging the notion of women as mere reflections of male desires.