Book description
Her image is iconic: Oprah Winfrey has built an empire on her ability
to connect with and inspire her audience. No longer just a name,
"Oprah" has become a brand representing the talk show host's
unique style of self-actualizing individualism. The cultural and
economic power wielded by Winfrey merits critical evaluation. The
contributors to The Oprah Phenomenon examine the origins of her public
image and its substantial influence on politics, entertainment, and
popular opinion. Contributors address praise from her many supporters
and weigh criticisms from her detractors. Winfrey's ability to create
a feeling of intimacy with her audience has long been cited as one of
the foundations of her popularity. She has repeatedly made national
headlines by engaging and informing her audience with respect to her
personal relationships to race, gender, feminism, and New Age culture.
The Oprah Phenomenon explores these relationships in detail. At the
root of Winfrey's message to her vast audience is her assertion that
anyone can be a success regardless of background or upbringing. The
contributors scrutinize this message: What does this success entail?
Is the motivation behind self-actualization, in fact, merely the hope
of replicating Winfrey's purchasing power? Is it just a prescription
to buy the products she recommends and heed the advice of people she
admires, or is it a lifestyle change of meaningful spiritual benefit?
The Oprah Phenomenon asks these and many other difficult questions to
promote a greater understanding of Winfrey's influence on the American
consciousness. Elwood Watson, associate professor of history at East
Tennessee State University, is the editor of several books, including
"There She Is, Miss America": The Politics of Sex, Beauty,
and Race in America's Most Famous Pageant and Searching The Soul of
Ally McBeal: Critical Essays.
""This collection of essays enhances an understanding of
the formation, circulation, consumption, and reception of the
phenomenon that has come to be known as 'Oprah."--The
Courier" --
Jennifer Harris is assistant professor of English at Mount Allison
University, New Brunswick, Canada. Her articles and essays have
appeared in several journals, including African American Review and
The Journal of American Culture, and books, including Turbo Chicks:
Talking Young Feminisms.
