Elvis After Elvis: The Posthumous Career of a Living Legend

Nearly twenty years after his death, Elvis Presley enjoys the sort of cultural prominence that would be the envy of even the most highly publicized living celebrities. His body may have failed him in 1977, but today his spirit, his image and myth do more than live on: they flourish and thrive. This phenomenon is noteworthy, not just because Elvis refuses to go away, but because he keeps showing up in places where he seemingly doesn't belong. Drawing on a range of theoretical positions from cultural studies, Elvis After Elvis offers a series of explanations for the surprising potency and lingering presence of Elvis as a cultural icon. What is different about Elvis that allows him to enjoy a cultural ubiquity that other stars don't? What makes it possible for Elvis to be so readily appropriated in such diverse ways? And what is it about our time that makes Elvis' current manifestations so different from those that existed when he was alive?

Gilbert B. Rodman is Assistant Professor of Communication at the University of South Florida.