Culture, Celebrity, and the Cemetery

Hollywood Forever

Linda Levitt (Autor)

Buch | Hardcover

92 Seiten

2018
Routledge (Verlag)
978-1-138-60978-5 (ISBN)

Artikel merken

Monuments and memorials commemorating the dead and past events around the world have recently gained importance, not least because we are living in an era in which many are driven to record and archive the events of their lives. Cemeteries, in particular, are increasingly viewed as places associated with popular culture and cultural memory, with many now being considered as heritage tourism sites. Culture, Celebrity, and the Cemetery analyses the famous Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, USA, examining how the cemetery presents itself as an attraction, whilst also safeguarding and promoting cultural heritage.

Focusing on an analysis of the articulation and performance of commemoration, Levitt examines how the cemetery leverages its rich resources to draw visitors and the diverse ways in which visitors interact with the cemetery, considering the influence of celebrity culture, fandoms, and cinema culture. Combining ethnographic research with cultural analysis, the book situates Hollywood Forever in the context of cemetery development in the United States and argues that touristic visits to cemeteries more generally have become similar to visits to more traditional memorials. Providing more than just a critical analysis of this fascinating cemetery as a landscape of famous death, Levitt coherently weaves the theme of cultural memory and meaning-making throughout every chapter.

Offering the first book-length study of the cultural impact of Hollywood Forever in particular, and the cemetery as public heritage space in general, Culture, Celebrity, and the Cemetery will be of interest to scholars and students of heritage studies and tourism around the world.

Linda Levitt is Associate Professor of Communication Studies at F. Austin State University, USA. Her research is focused at the intersection of cultural memory and media studies.

Preface

1. Introduction: Locating Cultural Memory

2. From Gardens to Gloom, Toward Grandeur

3. The Celebrity Cemetery

4. On the Mausoleum Wall

5. Skeletons, Marigolds, and Sugar Skulls

6. Conclusion: Expanding the Scope

Index

Erscheinungsdatum	05.08.2018
Reihe/Serie	Heritage, Tourism, and Community
Verlagsort	London
Sprache	englisch
Maße	138 x 216 mm
Gewicht	453 g
Themenwelt	Kunst / Musik / Theater
	Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte ► Hilfswissenschaften
	Geschichte ► Teilgebiete der Geschichte ► Kulturgeschichte
	Wirtschaft
ISBN-10	1-138-60978-1 / 1138609781
ISBN-13	978-1-138-60978-5 / 9781138609785
Zustand	Neuware