Table of Contents

List of IllustrationsList of TablesPrefaceIntroduction: A Critic's New Clothes3Ch. 1Cultural Mediation and the Status Bargain25Ch. 2Critics in the Performing Arts42Ch. 3Development of the Festival Fringe63Ch. 4Festivals and the Modern Fringe83Ch. 5Myth of the Fringe109Ch. 6Do Critics Matter?125Ch. 7Critical Evaluation144Ch. 8Do Performers Listen?165Ch. 9Beyond Formal Evaluation181Ch. 10Discourse and Hierarchy193Epilogue213Appendix A: Review Genres215Appendix B: Methodological Note218Appendix C: Note on the Mediation and Reception221Appendix D: Tables223Notes229Bibliography265Index275

About the Author

Wesley Monroe Shrum, Jr., is Professor of Sociology at Louisiana State University.

Reviews

"Fringe and Fortune has a charm and wit that novelist [Henry] James would have liked... The book includes an excellent and stunning review of relevant theories in aesthetics and the sociology of art and culture."--American Journal of Sociology "A solid sociological investigation, one that employs anecdote, interview, statistical analysis, and even some between-the-lines common sense."--K. Marantz, Choice