Description
Book SynopsisFocuses on the way individuals form opinions about culture through the mediation of critics. This book shows that it is the extent to which critics shape the reception of an art form that determines its place in the cultural hierarchy. It supports this argument through an inquiry into the performing arts, focusing on the Edinburgh Fringe.
Trade Review"Fringe and Fortune has a charm and wit that novelist [Henry] James would have liked... The book includes an excellent and stunning review of relevant theories in aesthetics and the sociology of art and culture."--American Journal of Sociology "A solid sociological investigation, one that employs anecdote, interview, statistical analysis, and even some between-the-lines common sense."--K. Marantz, Choice
Table of ContentsList of IllustrationsList of TablesPrefaceIntroduction: A Critic's New Clothes3Ch. 1Cultural Mediation and the Status Bargain25Ch. 2Critics in the Performing Arts42Ch. 3Development of the Festival Fringe63Ch. 4Festivals and the Modern Fringe83Ch. 5Myth of the Fringe109Ch. 6Do Critics Matter?125Ch. 7Critical Evaluation144Ch. 8Do Performers Listen?165Ch. 9Beyond Formal Evaluation181Ch. 10Discourse and Hierarchy193Epilogue213Appendix A: Review Genres215Appendix B: Methodological Note218Appendix C: Note on the Mediation and Reception221Appendix D: Tables223Notes229Bibliography265Index275
