Stardom - Cinema and Media Studies - Oxford Bibliographies

04/11/15, 22:36

Stardom
Elena DAmelio
LAST REVIEWED: 01 MAY 2015
LAST MODIFIED: 28 JANUARY 2013
DOI: 10.1093/OBO/9780199791286-0060

Introduction
Although fascination with the film star dates back as far as Bla Balzss The Visible Man (1924),
the study of stars and stardom did not become a commonplace of film studies until the 1980s. The
discipline that first approached the mechanics of contemporary celebrity was sociology, which
produced some important works in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Barthes 1972, Morin 2005
(both cited under Theorizing Stardom), and Alberonis The Powerless Elite (1963) were among the
first works to address stardoms cultural and ideological implications from, respectively, semiotic,
philosophical, and sociological standpoints. These three books were all published in late 1950s
and early 1960s, a time when celebrity culture was increasingly visible. These studies set the
stage for an exploration of stardom, culture, and ideology that culminated with the publication of
the influential work Dyer 1998 (cited under Theorizing Stardom). The author introduced the idea of
the star text, a concept that stretched beyond an artists performances in films to include fan
magazine articles, advertising posters, personal biographies, and rumors about actors, all of which
contribute to the experience of modern celebrity. Since then, stardom has encompassed
numerous issues in academic film studies, including the star as historical entity; the star as
discursive formation and cultural commodity; the role of audience and fandom in the construction
of the star; and the star as the intersection of cinematic language and technique with larger
historical dynamics, such as gender, sexuality, youth, politics, and fashion.

Anthologies
Of the several anthologies on stardom theory, Gledhill 1991 was the first significant survey.
Ndalianis and Henry 2002 is a collection of essays on contemporary stars, and Austin and Barker
2003 explores contemporary Hollywood stardom. Fischer and Landy 2004 investigates the star
canon and addresses neglected areas of star studies. Marshall 2006 commissioned a number of
essays to introduce the field of celebrity study, while Redmond and Holmes 2007 combined new
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essays with canonical theoretical writings.

Austin, Thomas, and Martin Barker, eds. Contemporary Hollywood Stardom. London:
Arnold, 2003.
This volume explores stardom from different points of view: questions of performance, the effect
on stardom of convergence between the film industry and other leisure industries, and the role of
audiences. Would work for beginning and advanced undergraduates.

Fischer, Lucy, and Marcia Landy, eds. Stars: The Film Reader. New York: Routledge, 2004.
The volume brings together key writings and new perspectives on stars and stardom in cinema
and television, examining neglected areas of study such as the avant-garde star, the nonAmerican star, and questions of canon and ethnicity. Appropriate for graduates and advanced
undergraduate classes.

Gledhill, Christine, ed. Stardom: Industry of Desire. New York: Routledge, 1991.
A collection of essays that represent a range of approaches drawn from film history, sociology,
textual analysis, audience research, psychoanalysis, and cultural politics. They raise important
issues about the role of stars in the production, circulation, and negotiation of meanings, identities,
desires, and ideologies. Suitable for graduates and advanced undergraduates.

Marshall, P. David, ed. The Celebrity Culture Reader. New York: Routledge, 2006.
The editor has combined classic essays and contemporary writings on the new celebrity culture
that emerged from reality television and the Internet. Accessible to beginning undergraduates, but
best for more advanced students.

Ndalianis, Angela, and Charlotte Henry. Stars in Our Eyes: The Star Phenomenon in the
Contemporary Era. Westport, CT, and London: Praeger, 2002.
Collection of essays on contemporary stars, divided in three parts: individual case studies; the
cultural impact of star images; and directors and characters as stars. Chapter 9 focuses on digital
stars. Suitable for graduate students.

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Redmond, Sean, and Su Holmes, eds. Stardom and Celebrity: A Reader. London: SAGE,
2007.
As much an anthology as a textbook; the editors have collected many of the most important
intellectual arguments on which star and celebrity analysis is based. Aimed at graduates and
advanced undergraduates.
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