Madonna : : Bawdy and Soul / / Karlene Faith.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter University of Toronto Press eBook-Package Archive 1933-1999
• VerfasserIn: Faith, Karlene,
• Place / Publishing House: Toronto : : University of Toronto Press, , [2016]; ©1997
• Year of Publication: 2016
• Language: English
• Series: Heritage
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (256 p.)

How do bad girls get away with it? How did Madonna, subject of public outcry for her controversial performances and her book Sex, become a superstar of pop culture and a role model for teenage girls? Why now, as star of Evita and a new mother, is she becoming a mainstream hero?Karlene Faith says that Madonna signifies the times we live in. We are, in a sense, all responsible for who Madonna is. As fans, moral critics, media journalists, or university scholars, we mediate what she means to our society. And Madonna, as a shrewd career woman, has known how to exploit our attentions with her multiple talents. Her representation of sexual practices and values has not taken place in a political or social vacuum. She has counted on our readiness to witness the smashing of cultural taboos. Feminist reactions to Madonna have been divided. In her early career Madonna was a teenage role model, applauded as a liberated sex crusader. Later, she raised eyebrows by portraying cynical sex with multiple partners across identity boundaries and by capitalizing on sadomasochistic imagery.Madonna, Bawdy & Soul is a celebration and critical analysis of Madonna from a feminist perspective. It will, like Madonna, provoke controversy among fans, critics, and scholars. The book includes a comprehensive listing of songs, videos, tours, films, stage roles, and Internet sites.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- 1. Setting the Stage -- 2. Who Is This Madonna? -- 3. Grist for Feminist Thinking -- 4. The Scholar and the Showgirl -- 5. Identity: Sex, Religion, and Difference -- 6. Liberated Sex Crusader? -- 7. A Careening Career -- 8. Role Model? -- 9. Only Madonna Knows -- Postscript -- Appendix: Selected Works of Madonna by Frances Wasserlein -- References -- Index