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The Star System in Literary Studies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 October 2020

David R. Shumway
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Abstract

A new form of intellectual authority and professional status has emerged in literary studies since the 1970s. Although some scholars have always been more influential and famous than others, only recently have such scholars been constructed as stars in the media and in the profession. This star system, similar to the one that flourished in studio-era Hollywood, makes leading scholars into personalities. It is related to the growth of the conference and lecture circuit and to the rise of literary theory. Although this system does not necessarily reward the wrong people, it does contribute to the public delegitimation of the discipline.

Type
Research Article
Information
PMLA , Volume 112 , Issue 1: Special Topic: The Teaching of Literature , January 1997 , pp. 85 - 100
Copyright
Copyright © Modern Language Association of America, 1997

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