Theatre's Elephant Vedettes: Mlle. Djeck or the Animal Starification in the first half of Nineteenth-Century

Abstract

The main of this article is to determine the existence of the animal stars by analysing the mechanisms and dynamics conducive to the acquisition of this status in the case of human actors and actresses. Taking as a paradigmatic example the case of the elephant Mlle. Djeck, present in the European stages of the 19th century, will analyse the elements that allow both the inclusion of the animal-actor in the phenomenon of celebrity, as well as those characteristics that result in its singularization. Likewise, the notions of voyeurism and intimacy will be studied as the main axes around which the new relationship between the public and the star of this figure is built. Lastly, the fundamental role of the press, as well as other media, will be addressed as intermediaries necessary for the construction, promotion and popularization of the star and/or celebrity.