Good news about another Kaufman book! I hope it will have something to add rather than just raking around all the old leaves. Curious about the author's web site, and his country of origin too... although I have seen a goodly number of German folks buzzing through AOL chat rooms to discuss American popular culture; at least moreso than those from other countries outside the U.S.
From the description:
"Keller shows how Kaufman mounted—for the benefit of an often uncomprehending public—a sustained and remarkable critique of America’s obsession with celebrity and individualism."
Is that what we think he was doing? I sorta disagree with this statement. My offhand take is that once he realized some of the advantages of celebrity he reveled in them, at least in such a way as to further his "agenda," and I don't think he critiqued any obsession with individualism (has this ever been a problem?) so much as he engaged in a rather full expression of his own.
Well, that first website that I linked to, after more research, turns out to be a different person.
'Scuse that. Apparently his name isn't all that uncommon!
I wouldn't necessarily take the same tack as this guy and I'm hoping it's not too pretentious a tome, but I'm open to what he's written. It's kind of odd, his age and location would put him out of the loop I'd think but maybe he'll offer up some good thoughts. Generally though it seems that Kaufman was commenting on celebrity, with the has-been corner and celebrity cyst and more, and less on individuality. I agree with your gauging of him. One thing that makes me wonder is the author's taking for gospel the mythic reading of The Great Gatsby in its entirety to a submissive audience in Fairfield, Iowa. Somewhere Andy's smiling.
perhaps (stress on the perhaps; I'm not arguing, but rather musing) individualism has a different meaning in this case. perhaps the author is not critiquing what we would consider self-actualization, but rather individualism as a European might see American Individualism. European countries are more socialist, for one. maybe it's a critique of homo economicus, greedy, self-serving individualism, celebrity as stepping-on-necks-to-get-to-the-top individualistic quest, look-at-me.
