Gossip as an Organizing Principle of Social Order and Perception

In Chapter 2, Dang gives an overview on how gossip has been examined in academic discourse based on both its negative and positive effects. She thereby elaborates on the distinction between the spread of rumors and gossip as a mode of communication. Referring to Marc Siegel’s aesthetic-political approach to gossip and film, Dang proposes gossip as a productive perspective for analyzing chick flicks which emphasize verbal expression, such as Easy A and Emma. In addition, she explains why these films are also well suited for understanding gossip as a theoretical film category and more generally for reflecting on gossip as a social practice.