Comments on: The Flying Frenchman: Édouard Carpentier, 1926-2010 http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/2010/11/03/the-flying-frenchman-edouard-carpentier-1926-2010/ Responses to Media and Culture Fri, 12 Feb 2016 19:35:04 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.7.5 By: Josh David Jackson http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/2010/11/03/the-flying-frenchman-edouard-carpentier-1926-2010/comment-page-1/#comment-41132 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 21:23:45 +0000 http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/?p=7102#comment-41132 Great piece, Colin. I’m curious: How novel did the industry and fans consider Carpentier’s acrobatic style during the period you describe, and how was the style constructed as similar or dissimilar to more traditional, mat-based wrestling?

]]> By: Evan Elkins http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/2010/11/03/the-flying-frenchman-edouard-carpentier-1926-2010/comment-page-1/#comment-40563 Sun, 07 Nov 2010 17:55:55 +0000 http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/?p=7102#comment-40563 Thanks for this great remembrance. Your piece and Lindsay’s on Lebron James make for a nice pair of investigations into mediated constructions of sports stardom. This is a fascinating glimpse into the professional wrestling world as it begins to move further and further into the showmanship that accompanies its transformation into a mass media institution.

This may be a stretch, but the fact that Carpentier lived to the age of 84 also seems to contribute to the notion that he was a “real athlete.” Considering recent discussions surrounding the early deaths of professional wrestlers, and how these deaths may be tied to the use of steroids and other drugs, perhaps his relative longevity is another signifier of his “authentic” physical acumen?

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