The Politics and Poetics of Camp

Front Cover
Moe Meyer
Psychology Press, 1994 - Performing Arts - 203 pages
"The Politics and Poetics of Camp" is a radical reappraisal of the discourse of camp. The contributors to this volume examine both activist strategies of camp performance--such as those employed by ACTUP--and theoretical debates on the meaning of camp as a signifying practice. They ask whether camp is a frivolous, apolitical style or a powerful cultural critique and expression of queer identity.
The essays investigate camp from its early formations in the seventeenth and eighteenth century homosexual subculture of London to its present manifestations in queer theatre and literature. They also take a fascinating look at the complex relationship between queer discourse and decidedly "un-queer" pop culture appropriations on film.
An incisive and entertaining collection of essays by some of the foremost critics now working in queer theory--from a number of disciplinary perspectives--"The Politics and Poetics of Camp" makes a well-timed entry into this emerging debate.
Contributors include Gregory Bredbeck, Kate Davy, Thomas King, Margaret Thompson Drewal, Chuck Kleinhans, Cynthia Morrell, Martin Worman, and Jerome Schultz.
 

Contents

PERFORMING AKIMBO
23
NARCISSUS IN THE WILDE
51
UNDER THE SIGN OF WILDE 75
75
REVAMPING THE GAY SENSIBILITY
110
FEMALE IMPERSONATION
130
THE CAMP TRACE IN CORPORATE AMERICA
149
TAKING OUT THE TRASH
182
Index
202
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