Mae West: An Icon In Black And White
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Edition: 1st ed., 2nd impr.,
Condition remarks:
Book: Very good
Jacket: Very good
Pages: Good
Markings: No markings
A richly researched cultural biography, Jill Watts's work chronicles the life and carefully constructed persona of Mae West, one of Hollywood's most provocative and enduring entertainers. Watts uncovers the complex interplay between West's public image and her private identity, arguing that West's bold sexuality and sharp wit were not merely performance but deliberate acts of self-invention rooted in her deep engagement with African American culture and entertainment. Drawing on extensive archival research, the narrative illustrates how West borrowed, adapted, and transformed Black musical and theatrical traditions to craft the iconic blonde bombshell the world came to know, raising incisive questions about race, appropriation, and stardom in early twentieth-century America. Written with academic rigor yet remaining thoroughly accessible, the biography presents West not simply as a sex symbol but as a shrewd cultural architect who navigated the rigid boundaries of race and gender in ways that were both transgressive and deeply contradictory. Mae West: An Icon In Black And White stands as an essential reassessment of a legend, offering readers a nuanced portrait of ambition, identity, and the price of fame.
Author: Jill Watts
Format: Hardback
Published: 2001, Oxford University Press
Genre: Biography
Edition: 1st ed., 2nd impr.,
Condition remarks:
Book: Very good
Jacket: Very good
Pages: Good
Markings: No markings
A richly researched cultural biography, Jill Watts's work chronicles the life and carefully constructed persona of Mae West, one of Hollywood's most provocative and enduring entertainers. Watts uncovers the complex interplay between West's public image and her private identity, arguing that West's bold sexuality and sharp wit were not merely performance but deliberate acts of self-invention rooted in her deep engagement with African American culture and entertainment. Drawing on extensive archival research, the narrative illustrates how West borrowed, adapted, and transformed Black musical and theatrical traditions to craft the iconic blonde bombshell the world came to know, raising incisive questions about race, appropriation, and stardom in early twentieth-century America. Written with academic rigor yet remaining thoroughly accessible, the biography presents West not simply as a sex symbol but as a shrewd cultural architect who navigated the rigid boundaries of race and gender in ways that were both transgressive and deeply contradictory. Mae West: An Icon In Black And White stands as an essential reassessment of a legend, offering readers a nuanced portrait of ambition, identity, and the price of fame.