In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

ac k now l e d g m e n t s This book began during a conversation at the café of the New York Public Library one afternoon in 2003, when my former professor and future colleague Philippe Roger asked me, “What are you going to do next?” I presented him with several ideas that I had been toying with; the one he liked best, he said, was the one about Bad Taste. And so, through several years of research and a few major changes in life, including a move from New York to Virginia, I developed the idea into a book. Along the way, I was fortunate to receive support, both moral and material, from many sources. First of all, I must express my gratitude to Elena Russo for her faith in my work and for coming to the rescue at a critical point in my writing process. She and Josué Harari helped me guide my manuscript to the beginning stages of publication and eventually into the capable hands of Jerome Singerman. During the writing process, the University of Virginia offered generous travel and summer research funds and a year of sabbatical leave, all of which accelerated the completion of my book. I am particularly grateful to Dean Meredith Jung-En Woo for her encouragement and kind support. Rita Felski also deserves thanks for her excellent advice and Nathan Brown for the long hours he spent helping me put the manuscript into its final shape. I wish to thank my family and my friends, especially Elisabeth Ladenson, Philippe Roger, and Sophia Rosenfeld, for accompanying me through the rockiest stretches of my academic path. During these times, Edna-Jakki Miller taught me how to be a stronger woman. Finally , Mark Ilsemann, my husband, deserves my gratitude for guiding my heart toward certainty, even when my mind drifted toward skepticism. ...

Share