Gabler

Gabler’s main argument is going against Boorstin regarding celebrities. Gabler believes not all celebrities are already known. “Celebrities are known for being well-known. They are known for living out real-life melodramas”(207). Gabler describes celebs “as a form of narrative art” (207). He says this because celebrities can be constructed just like narratives are. Later in his reading he talks about the fictional creations of the characters and how spectators view them in this way. The audience find ways to connect with the characters that they are aware of are not really like that. Viewers do not have to suspend their disbelief because there is no disbelief to suspend. All of this is necessary for fiction to be successful. Celebrities have costumes all of the time which goes to show they are not always themselves. The public almost makes them into celebs because of their expectations. Fiction has suspense therefore you can never know what to expect from them. Viewers also relate to celebs as well because of “voyeurism”(208). This is the gaining of sexual pleasure just from seeing another person (celebrity). This is how “celebrities are unavoidably contrasted with the fictional narratives in which most celebrities find themselves”(208). He later talks about how celebrities live out real life melodrama as some, and sometimes that often ends with death such as some of the celebs Gabler mentioned in his reading. In the end, you realize celebs are real people just like us; they just have to put on an act at times.