Celebs: a new trend

Many of us know very well who people like Michael Jackson or Paul McCartney are; ‘celebrities’ would be an apt assessment of such famous figures.

The latest research by Dr Elizabeth Barry, Associate Professor in the Department of English, University of Warwick, calls into question previously held ideas regarding the cult of the celebrity. According to Dr Barry, our obsession with celebrities can be more accurately traced back to the increase in the number of newspapers and magazines during the 18th century, and the use of obituaries in particular. This goes against the common-held view that the celebrity has its origins in the Romantic movement of the 19th century.

According to the recent study, published in the current issue of the International Journal of Cultural Studies, the creation of the so-called “first celebrities” was due to the rise in the number of published obituaries. They were used as a notice of death, typically including a brief biography of the deceased person. Throughout the 18th century, these became some of the most popularly read sections in newspapers, which lead to great public interest and questions regarding the lives of the people involved.

One such case was that of Peter Marsh of Dublin, reported in the Gentlemen’s Magazine in 1940; he was made famous by his beliefs regarding his own impending death. This incident occurred after he was hit by a mad horse, which died subsequently, convincing Mr Marsh that he too would soon suffer the same fate.

Dr Barry, the author of the paper, commented, saying, “Celebrity became a feature of British society, and the untimely or dramatic death began to create as well as test this new kind of fame. The obituary plays a key role in this process and represents an important mechanism for introducing modern notions of fame and celebrity into British society.

“This period also witnessed a change in attitude towards fame that recognised the significance in a newly commercial environment of popular tastes and appetite.”

While traditionally most people of significance were known for their achievements, be it literary or scientific, such developments in the history of newspapers and magazines marked the beginning of an era where one could be famous for a whole host of unconventional reasons.