Description

Here is the first ever history of glamour, ranging from Paris in the tumultuous final decades of the eighteenth century through to Hollywood, New York, and Monte Carlo in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, from the glamorous fictional characters of Walter Scott to iconic figures such as Marlene Dietrich and Marilyn Monroe to modern idols such as Paris Hilton. The book maps the origins of glamour and investigates the forms that it took in modern times, discussing the role of writers, journalists, artists, photographers, film-makers and fashion designers, occupations like the model and the air stewardess, cities and resorts such as Paris, New York, and Monte Carlo, and products including luxury cars and jets--all of which are bathed in the public mind with the magical aura of glamour. And he shows how glamour feeds on the middle class yearning for a thrilling and colorful life, a yearning reinforced by the cinema and the press, which serve as a stage for acting out scenes of a desirable life.

Features

• The first ever history of glamour and its three vital ingredients--sex appeal, money, and fame
• Covers the lives of the rich and famous over the last two centuries--from Napoleon to Marilyn Monroe, from Beau Brummell to Gianni Versace
• Highlights both the magic of glamour--and also its sleazy and sometimes tragic underside

Reviews

"This book captures the tantalizing appeal of glamour while exposing its sleazy underside."--The Standard

"Well researched and thoughtfully written, this book manages to be an excellent read and will appeal to anyone interested in popular culture."--Sarah Jenkins, The Guardian

"Gundle is brilliant at the old razzle-dazzle."--Veronica Horwell, Saturday Guardian

"This book is a thoroughly comprehensive and meticulously researched history of glamour."--Times Literary Supplement

"A narrative rich with captivating details and commentary.... Essential for those with a keen interest in the sociology of popular culture and stardom."--Library Journal

"A substantial book about an insubstantial, yet somehow fascinating, topic."--The Independent

"Well-researched and thoughtfully written, this book manages to be an excellent read and will to anyone interested in popular culture."--Books Quarterly

"Glamour: A History is on the whole a wonderfully engaging read."--Otago Daily Times

"The book captures the excitement and sex appeal of glamour while exposing its mechanisms and exploring its sleazy and sometimes tragic underside. As Gundle shows, while glamour is exciting and magnetic, its promise is ultimately an illusion that can only ever be partially fulfilled."--Irish Mail on Sunday

"[A] pathbreaking study...Gundle has written the first general history of what has become a central drive of our contemporary consumer culture and its expressions in the popular culture that accompanies it." -- Journal of Social History

Product Details

496 pages; 24 b/w plates; 5 1/4 x 7 3/4; ISBN13: 978-0-19-956978-6ISBN10: 0-19-956978-9

About the Author(s)