There's something about a celebrity that makes people want to dig into their life and figure out what's so special about them that they made it big, how did they manage to live a normal life, and is the public portrayal of that person real or fake.
All of these questions and more are being explored by a university class.
Country legend, Dolly Parton has inspired a new history class at the University of Tennessee, Dolly's America.
The idea on having a course dedicated to the longtime country singer was sparked by professor, Lynn Sacco, when Parton came to receive an honorary degree and gave a speech in 2009.
Dolly's America, is part of the history honours department at the university.
Sacco says she's interested in teaching on the Appalachian culture and its influence on Parton's life.
"Students read first about the world into which Dolly was born and then about how Dolly relied on her East Tennessee identity to shape not just her image, but all of her work. By so doing, she brought East Tennessee culture to the world – and the world to East Tennessee," said Sacco.
It also looks at the skills Parton possessed in making herself a successful business women.
"Everyone knew Dolly was successful, but they did not know how successful she has been for so long and over so many ventures: songwriting; producing television, theater, and probably more; amusement parks; author; philanthropist; performer,” said Sacco.
Ernie Freeburg is the head of the history department at UT and recalls being asked by Sacco about introducing the course.
"This History Department was both surprised and delighted to learn that Dr. Sacco was proposing to have students dive deep into the life and times of Dolly Parton. One message we send our students is that history is everywhere, not just in wars and the White House, and that one of the best ways to know something is to study it historically," said Freeburg.
“In the hands of a good historian like Dr. Sacco, a course on Dolly Parton raises so many fundamental questions worth asking in any humanities course—about how place shapes values, our ideas about success, the relationship between art and celebrity," he said.
