Synopses & Reviews
Born Norma Jeane Mortenson, Marilyn Monroe was an actress, singer, and sex symbol whose influence far outlasted her short life. Contributors toand#160;
Fan Phenomena: Marilyn Monroeand#160;situate the platinum blonde starletand#8217;s omnipresent cultural relevance within the zeitgeist of current popular culture and explore the influence she has had on numerous elements of it. Her aesthetics and images have been reappropriated, recreated, imitated, and emulated by such celebrities as Lindsay Lohan, Jayne Mansfield, Drew Barrymore, Anna Nicole Smith, and Madonna. The quintessential American sex symbol, Monroe was an influential style icon for a spectrum of designers, including Dolce and Gabbana, Betsey Johnson, and Nike, all of whom have named lines of clothing, shoes, or accessories after the star.
The essays here explore representations of Monroe in visual culture by looking at the ways she is reimagined in visual art while also considering how her posthumous appearance and image are appropriated in current advertisements. With an inside look at the universe of Marilyn Monroe impersonators and look-alike contests for both males and females, the book also explores numerous homages to Monroe in music, from the 1979 opera Marilyn by Lorenzo Ferrero to Nicki Minajand#8217;s song and#147;Marilyn Monroe.and#8221; The definitive guide to one of the most famous women who ever lived, the book will be essential reading for any scholar of twentieth-century American popular culture.
Review
"There is delight in this picture of the icon as more sincere, striving, intellectually ambitious, and perceptive than wed ever have guessed."--Publishers Weekly "Sentences trail across the page, then merge in clumps, like paper airplanes tossed into a net; multiple cross-outs, repetitions and misspellings make them a challenge to decipher. Nonetheless, a certain potency resides in their runic quality…Passionate decoders of the Monroe legacy will have a field day.."--The New York Times
Synopsis
Fragments is an event—an unforgettable book that will redefine one of the greatest icons of the twentieth century and that, nearly fifty years after her death, will definitively reveal Marilyn Monroes humanity.
Marilyns image is so universal that we cant help but believe we know all there is to know of her. Every word and gesture made headlines and garnered controversy. Her serious gifts as an actor were sometimes eclipsed by her notoriety—and by the way the camera fell helplessly in love with her.
Beyond the headlines—and the too-familiar stories of heartbreak and desolation—was a woman far more curious, searching, witty, and hopeful than the one the world got to know. Now, for the first time, readers can meet the private Marilyn and understand her in a way we never have before. Fragments is an unprecedented collection of written artifacts—notes to herself, letters, even poems—in Marilyns own handwriting, never before published, along with rarely seen intimate photos.
Jotted in notebooks, typed on paper, or written on hotel letterhead, these texts reveal a woman who loved deeply and strove to perfect her craft. They show a Marilyn Monroe unsparing in her analysis of her own life, but also playful, funny, and impossibly charming. The easy grace and deceptive lightness that made her performances indelible emerge on the page, as does the simmering tragedy that made her last appearances so affecting.
Synopsis
Fan Phenomena: Marilyn Monroe situates Marilyn Monroeand#8217;s omnipresent continued cultural relevance within the zeitgeist of current popular cultural and looks at the influence she has had on numerous elements of it. Lindsay Lohan, Jayne Mansfield, Drew Barrymore, Anna Nicole Smith, Madonna are just a handful of actresses and singers who have reappropriated, recreated, imitated and emulated her classic aesthetic and images. Marilyn was the quintessential American sex symbol and an influential style icon upon a spectrum of designers including Dolce and Gabbana, Betsey Johnson, and Nike, all of who have named lines of clothing, shoes and accessories after the star. The book explores representations of Marilyn in visual culture looking at the ways she is re-imagined in visual art, whilst also looking at how Marilyn Monroeand#8217;s posthumous appearance and image are appropriated in current advertisements.and#160;
About the Author
Marilyn Monroe was the defining actress of her age. Born in Los Angeles in 1926, Monroe first gained notice for small but memorable roles in The Asphalt Jungle and All About Eve in 1950. Over the next decade, she starred in numerous films, including Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Some Like It Hot, How to Marry a Millionaire, and The Seven Year Itch. Acclaimed for these and many other performances, Monroe also studied with Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio. She died in 1962.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Marcelline Block
and#160;
Timeless Stars and New Spotlights:and#160; Looking for Marilyn Monroe on YouTube
Louise Elali and Catalina Vandaacute;zquez
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Fan Appreciation no. 1
Mary Sims, Owner of the Immortal Marilyn Fan Club Website
and#160;
Lipstick Thespians: Being Marilyn Monroe after 5 August 1962
Ross Sloan
and#160;
Marilyn is a Smash: Depicting the Icon in NBCandrsquo;s Musical Drama
Raquel Crisostomo
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Fan Appreciation no. 2
Gianandrea Colombo
Marilyn Monroe Italia
and#160;
Marilyn Monroeandrsquo;s Dresses
Ange Webb
and#160;
Fan Appreciation no. 3
Scott Forner, the Marilyn Monroe Collection
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Performing Marilyn: Michelle Williams in My Week with Marilyn
Zachary Ingle
and#160;
Fan Appreciation no. 4
Tara Hanks, author of The MMM Girl
and#160;
The 50th Anniversary of Marilyn Monroeandrsquo;s Death
Scott Fortner
and#160;
Fan Appreciation no. 5
Melinda Mason, the andlsquo;Marilyn Geekandrsquo;
and#160;
Fan Appreciation no. 6
Marijane Gray
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Editor and Contributor Biographies