Performing Menken - Adah Isaacs Menken and the Birth of American Celebrity

This study relates the experiences of controversial actress and poet Adah Isaacs Menken to the culture of the Civil War period which significantly affected her life achievements. The book explores the roots of the cult of celebrity that emerged from the crucible of war, while discussing Menkens racial and ethnic claims and her performance in relationship to gender and sexuality. It focuses on the contemporary use of social categories to explain patterns in Americas past and considers why such categories remain important.

List of contents

1. Playing Deborah; 2. Playing the Pugilist's Wife; 3. Performing Mazeppa; 4. Performing Menken; 5. Among the Bohemians; 6. Becoming Mazeppa; 7. Becoming the Menken; 8. Finale; 9. Remember and rewriting Menken.

Summary

Performing Menken, first published in 2003, uses the life experiences of controversial actress and poet Adah Isaacs Menken to examine the culture of the Civil War period. It discusses Menken's racial and ethnic claims and her performance of gender and sexuality in the context of the social categories of her day.

Product details

• Authors: Ren E. M. Sentilles, Renee Sentilles, Renee M. Sentilles, Renée M. Sentilles
• Publisher: Cambridge Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 26.05.2003
• EAN: 9780521820707
• ISBN: 978-0-521-82070-7
• Dimensions: 152 mm x 229 mm x 22 mm
• Weight: 650 g
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Art > Photography, film, video, TV; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Historical, Biography: historical, political & military, HISTORY / Social History, Social & cultural history, HISTORY / United States / 19th Century, PERFORMING ARTS / Theater / General, PERFORMING ARTS / Acting & Auditioning, c 1800 to c 1900, 19th century, c 1800 to c 1899, Individual actors & performers, Theatre Studies, 18th century, c 1700 to c 1799, Social and cultural history, United States of America, USA, History of the Americas, Biography: arts and entertainment, Individual actors and performers, Biography: historical, political and military