Sacred and profane icon-work: Jane Fonda and Elvis Presley

***Bent Sørensen

Renvall Institute Guest Lecture, April 23, 2005

Approaches

• Cultural studies

• Cultural texts

• Cultural iconology

• Cultural texts

Icon-work

Adversarial: • negative manipulation• propaganda• iconoclasm

Collaborative: • fandom• worship• cult

Iconicity: two modes of representation

• Stylised (simplified, reduced to essentials)

• Sacralised (holy, elaborate, full of significant details)

Origins of the word “icon”

• Religious sphere (Catholic Orthodox images of worship)

• Semiotics/Informatics (Pictograms and ideograms)

Marilyn Monroe

Andy Warhol’s Marilyn

Marilyn in Playboy

Iconicity

• Familiarity (fame, recognition)

• Transcendence (extra-ordinary, uncommon)

• Transgression (beyond normality, taboo)

Our position opposite icons

• Passive: we watch

• Active: we imitate, impersonate

Bob Dylan as Angry Young Man

Our relationship to icons

• Worshippers (voyeurs, fans - we idolize the icons) - we desire communication

• Consumers (buyers of icon products, we use them (up)) - we desire communion

Icons and history

• Icons are almost immortal

• Icons are always historically specific

The world’s most famous man, 1921

Rudolph Valentino

ELVIS

• Sacralised iconicity dominates

• Fetishistic, partially sadistic

• Body-fixated

• Fans have an oral relationship with Elvis

• Worship and collaborative icon-work dominate

Jane Fonda

• Stylised iconicity dominates

• Body-fixated (legs, buttocks, genitals)

• Fetishised

• Sadistic

• Fans have a genital relationship with her

• Adversarial icon-work dominates

Elvis personalities

• Elvis-the-Pelvis

• Rebel Elvis

• Army Elvis

• Hollywood Elvis

• Leather Elvis

• Vegas Elvis

• Hawaii Elvis

• Elvis of the giant Jumpsuits

• Burger Elvis

• Post Elvis

Elvis the Rebel

Elvis’ first album, 1956

Elvis gets G.I. Joe haircut

Hollywood Elvis

Elvis’ torso

Leather Elvis

Vegas Elvis

Jumpsuit Elvis

Jumpsuit patriotism

Hawaii Elvis “In the Ghetto”

Dead Elvis

Sacred Heart of Elvis

Stations of the Cross of Elvis

Presleyburgers, anyone?

US Stamp design A

US Stamp Design B

Postal election ballot

The Winner is...

Christopher Rywalt’s Elvis Icon

Elvis fiction

The trademark grin

Elvis Detective Fiction

Elvis meets Nixon in the White House

Elvis’ letter to the

President

Handshake: Let’s fight drugs together

A match made in Heaven

Jane Fonda’s 2nd Oscar winning performance

“Hanoi Jane”

Fonda personalities

• Little girl Jane• Barbarella• Hanoi Jane• Oscar Jane• Workout Jane• High Society Jane• Born Again Jane

Innocent Jane

Leggy Jane

Sunday in N.Y. publicity photo

Jane goes West

Jane goes French

Wonder Woman

Is that a…?

Barbarella Psychedella

Cover of Life Magazine

With Tom Hayden, 2nd husband

Jane the activist

Busted!

Girl Powerr!

Pointy things again

Workout Jane

Split

Original workout video

With Ted Turner,

3rd husband Owner of the Atlanta Braves, CNN and Turner Movies

Patriot Jane

Hanoi Jane hate material

Jane the activist

Hate material caused by Iraq War opposition

Hate material used in art

Jane with John Kerry - photo taken at Anti-Vietnam War-rally,

1971