Entertaining ghosts: Gettysburg ghost tours and the performance of belief |
Posted on:2009-02-25 | Degree:M.A | Type:Thesis |
University:University of Maryland, College Park | Candidate:Thompson, Robert C | Full Text:PDF |
GTID:2445390002496489 | Subject:Theater |
Abstract/Summary: | |
Gettysburg is the site of the largest battle and death toll during the entire American Civil War. Ghost tours are a tourism business and performance genre that arose out of the notion that the spirits of these dead soldiers have lingered on since the battle. Some tourists join a ghost tour in hopes of encountering a ghost, but almost all tourists expect to be entertained. My project is to define the ghost tour as a distinct genre and examine each of the elements that comprise a ghost tour performance. I argue that the most effective ghost tour is the tour that is best able to render ghosts as a potential truth and perform potential truth as a form of entertainment. How do ghost tour guides render ghosts' presence a genuine possibility for their tour groups? How might we understand performance and entertainment as a means to activate sincere belief?... |
Keywords/Search Tags: | Ghost tour, Performance, Ghosts |
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