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Fortunate Son - (American Portrait (Hill and Wang)) by Charles L Ponce de Leon (Paperback)
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About this item
Highlights
- Elvis Presley was celebrity's perfect storm.
- About the Author: Charles L. Ponce de Leon teaches history at the State University of New York, Purchase, and is the author of Self-Exposure: The Emergence of Celebrity in America, 1890-1940.
- 256 Pages
- Music, Genres & Styles
- Series Name: American Portrait (Hill and Wang)
Description
About the Book
The author succinctly places Elvis's life within the larger shifts that redefined the cultural landscape during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, discovering in the mounting ironies of Elvis's waning success the seeds of mythology about the King that still exist.Book Synopsis
Elvis Presley was celebrity's perfect storm. His sole but substantial contribution was talent, a fact Charles L. Ponce de Leon is careful to demonstrate throughout his wonderfully contextual Fortunate Son. Even as the moments of lucidity necessary to exercise that talent grew rarer and rarer, Elvis proved his musical gifts right up to the end of his life. Beyond that, however, he was fortune's child. Fortunate Son succinctly traces out the larger shifts that repeatedly redefined the cultural landscape during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, using Elvis's life to present a brief history of American popular culture during these tumultuous decades.
Review Quotes
"A vivid retelling of the Elvis Saga, and a deft assessment of its meanings." --Richard Wightman Fox
"A surprisingly worthwhile addition to the groaning shelf of Elvis books, emphasizing the historical and cultural context for his music and celebrity . . . A thoughtful synthesis of the most intelligent writing on the Presley phenomenon." --Kirkus Reviews "A brief new life of Elvis Presley emphasizes his conservative political values." --The Atlantic MonthyAbout the Author
Charles L. Ponce de Leon teaches history at the State University of New York, Purchase, and is the author of Self-Exposure: The Emergence of Celebrity in America, 1890-1940.
