Nights at the Circus 3/21/12

The juxtaposition between art and cheap commercialism in both Nights and Money hinges around prostitution. The art in Money is the movie, the books, and the real relationships. The cheap commercialism is the prostitution, the deception, and the money. In Nights, the art is Fevvers, her presentation of her life, and the Circus. The cheap commercialism here is the "prostitution" (though she is the "virgin whore"), and Gain, the money, though there is a far lesser focus on it in Nights than in Money. In Nights, it's more about image and respect than money itself. The prostitution is the line between the art and the commercialism in both situations. The prostitution is both part of the art and the means for the money. In Money, sex is a controversial topic amongst the actors in the movie. Vron sees her work as art. There are sex tapes, sexual performances, and sexual publications. The sex fuels the movie, which in turn, should create money (though this is thwarted by Fielding). Self also loses money to prostitution. In Nights, Fevvers' body and abilities are her art. She is paid for them, but never touched, thus making her the "virgin whore." Like Vron and many others in Money, her body is her art and also her means of money, though in a slightly different way. The contrast and similarities between art and cheap commercialism in these books is interestingly similar despite the stories being quite different.