Abstract
Here stardom goes beyond the contradiction to which it has been linked so often (particularly in terms of the star’s status as both ordinary and extraordinary (e.g. Ellis, 1982, p. 97; Dyer, 1994, pp. 49–50)) to become an inherent instability evoking fascination in spectators anxious yet unable to pinpoint and control the transformation, suspecting the imminence of something – a doubling of personality – their eyes cannot quite believe. Its manifestation suggests a potential unity between the human face; the actor’s mask, with its contradictory moods; and the supernatural, with its capacity for shape-changing.
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© 2012 Paul Coates
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Coates, P. (2012). The Fate of Contemplation: Closeness and Distance. In: Screening the Face. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137012289_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137012289_3
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-33465-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-01228-9
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