A Women’s History of the Beatles
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-03-22 09:52:10
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Christine Feldman-Barrett
- ISBN：1501375946
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
A Women's History of the Beatles is the first book to offer a detailed presentation of the band's social and cultural impact as understood through the experiences and lives of women。 Drawing on a mix of interviews， archival research， textual analysis， and autoethnography， this scholarly work depicts how the Beatles have profoundly shaped and enriched the lives of women， while also reexamining key， influential female figures within the group's history。
Organized topically based on key themes important to the Beatles story， each chapter uncovers the varied and multifaceted relationships women have had with the band， whether face-to-face and intimately or parasocially through mediated， popular culture。 Set within a socio-historical context that charts changing gender norms since the early 1960s， these narratives consider how the Beatles have affected women's lives across three generations。 Providing a fresh perspective of a well-known tale， this is a cultural history that moves far beyond the screams of Beatlemania to offer a more comprehensive understanding of what the now iconic band has meant to women over the course of six decades。
Organized topically based on key themes important to the Beatles story， each chapter uncovers the varied and multifaceted relationships women have had with the band， whether face-to-face and intimately or parasocially through mediated， popular culture。 Set within a socio-historical context that charts changing gender norms since the early 1960s， these narratives consider how the Beatles have affected women's lives across three generations。 Providing a fresh perspective of a well-known tale， this is a cultural history that moves far beyond the screams of Beatlemania to offer a more comprehensive understanding of what the now iconic band has meant to women over the course of six decades。
Reviews
Seth
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The general Beatle fan audience might have missed this， as it’s a more academically oriented book， but it is quite readable and worth your time。 I learned a great deal about the original “fan-friends” of the band in Liverpool， Beatle fandom throughout the world， female musicians inspired by the group， women who have organized conventions and podcasts， and academics who have conducted research in various Beatles-related areas。
Gustavo
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This book， along with "The Beatles and the Historians"， by Erin Torkelson Weber， are rewriting the Beatle legacy and the way of seeing and understanding the phenomenon。 A great work， a different approach， an essay that allows us to refresh the ideas we have about the sociocultural impact of the band。 Christine Feldman-Barret has written one of the books that will define from now on the new ways of studying and approaching The Beatles， the “greatest romance of the 20th century”。 This book， along with "The Beatles and the Historians"， by Erin Torkelson Weber， are rewriting the Beatle legacy and the way of seeing and understanding the phenomenon。 A great work， a different approach， an essay that allows us to refresh the ideas we have about the sociocultural impact of the band。 Christine Feldman-Barret has written one of the books that will define from now on the new ways of studying and approaching The Beatles， the “greatest romance of the 20th century”。 。。。more
Eliza
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As a lifelong Beatles fan and a feminist， I feel like this book was written for me。 It's an academic book but still very fun to read。 As a lifelong Beatles fan and a feminist， I feel like this book was written for me。 It's an academic book but still very fun to read。 。。。more
Amy McGrath Hughes
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For all the terminology associated with being a female fan of The Beatles， I’m happy to say that “aca-fan” is one I believe needs more press。 Accordingly， Dr。 Christine Feldman-Barrett’s newly published ‘A Women’s History of The Beatles’ （Bloomsbury， 2021） seeks to inform a wide， multi-generational audience that may not wholly understand the role of women in ‘Beatlefandom。’The definition of “aca-fan” or academic fan stems from Feldman-Barrett’s research into how we define the span of women （eith For all the terminology associated with being a female fan of The Beatles， I’m happy to say that “aca-fan” is one I believe needs more press。 Accordingly， Dr。 Christine Feldman-Barrett’s newly published ‘A Women’s History of The Beatles’ （Bloomsbury， 2021） seeks to inform a wide， multi-generational audience that may not wholly understand the role of women in ‘Beatlefandom。’The definition of “aca-fan” or academic fan stems from Feldman-Barrett’s research into how we define the span of women （either first generation or beyond） who were deeply affected by The Beatles impact on their lives。 Through countless interviews that range from women who saw the band during their brief lifespan or who discovered them through recordings and film or from family members， Feldman-Barrett brings into focus the multi-layered emotions felt by each discovery and life-changing course of action。However， Feldman-Barrett begins by discussing The Beatles unique understanding of the female fan， especially those they befriended in Liverpool。 These girls were their stalwart supporters at a time when ‘young women’ were still expected to finish school， get married and raise a family。 Although many did go down that avenue， so too did many seek to break out of the norm， establish an identity and pursue a career。 The Beatles in many respects， through their performances or correspondences， helped them to achieve what was considered a fairly lofty， nearly unattainable goal。 In return， these working girls from Liverpool （who the group considered friends） set the pattern for years to come: whether they were fan club secretaries （like Liverpudlian Freda Kelly） or journalists （such as the Evening Standard’s Maureen Cleave）， these smart women were there from the start and stayed the course helping to spread The Word。The Beatles also broke rank with how they chose to interact with an audience and the choices of songs they played。 While there is considerable knowledge about their upbringing and how their generation viewed women’s role in society （as noted above）， the stage presence they achieved through showcasing ‘girl group’ songs （The Shirelles， The Cookies， The Marvelettes） gave them a devoted female following amidst the perception of the rough and tumble atmosphere of club-going， heretofore thought to be a taboo ritual。 Although these perceptions proved to be barrier-breaking， Feldman-Barrett ironically notes that although The Beatles showcased these songs to a wide audience， their eventual stratospheric rise in effect caused the demise of this genre。Another interesting angle that Feldman-Barrett explores is the internal relationships of The Beatles: most notably with Astrid Kirchherr in Hamburg and then their early pairings （Cynthia Powell， Maureen Cox， Pattie Boyd， Jane Asher） and consequently as the band starts to disintegrate， the rise of the two most prominent partners: Yoko Ono and Linda Eastman。 How these two strong female personalities become inextricably tied to their spouses’ outlook on women’s role in society as the 70s begin is examined in detail。 Ono in particular was and has been unfairly portrayed in the media and Feldman-Barrett seeks to rectify that trope in these pages。The dominant narrative that permeates this history though， are the multi-generational women who Feldman-Barrett interviewed; as either a first generation fan （one who was there during The Beatles lifespan） or into later years and even past the death of John Lennon， what comes across is the same passionate involvement they all have: whether they became professional musicians during the 60s （such as the all-girl Nursery Rhymes and The Pleasure Seekers who fought against stereotypical male-dominated ‘rock bands’） or parlayed their interest in The Beatles into a professional vocation （as tour guides in Hamburg， Liverpool and New York City） or as Feldman-Barrett points out， pursued higher education in the actual study of The Beatles， via university courses devoted to their cultural impact on society， and pop culture in particular。These women gained tremendous insight into what had been up to that time （and even into the 70s， 80s and 90s） a love of The Beatles that moved past the mislabeling of ‘hysterical screaming teenager’ or ‘obsessed fan’ and have turned it into their life’s work。 ‘A Women’s History of The Beatles’ is a deep dive scholarly approach that is informative， thought-provoking and should create more open dialogue not only for academia-minded individuals， but also for those who seek unique perspectives on how The Beatles shaped their （and our） generation。I rate this book 4 out of 4 beetles: https://beatles-freak。com 。。。more
Tara Brabazon
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