Abstract
In this chapter I consider the ways that these four agents of consecration interact, identify the ‘most consecrated authors’ according to the metrics used in this study’s model, explore the limitations of this model and analyse the relationship between these metrics and sales. It brings together the four chapters that come before it to answer questions around the power of the various sectors, where they overlap, and the influence of symbolic capital—and whether it can translate to economic capital—beyond the literary field. This is an analysis of the way gender intersects with power—or the pursuit of power—in Australian publishing, and how this evolved in the 50 years to 2015. The chapter concludes by identifying the directions in which future study could go, and the questions around representation, inclusiveness and perceptions of literary merit that still need to be answered.
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Dane, A. (2020). Intersecting and Interacting Agents of Consecration: Gender and the Australian Publishing Field. In: Gender and Prestige in Literature. New Directions in Book History. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49142-0_6
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