I Killed Britney Spears

This study guide will help you analyse the text “I Killed Britney Spears” by Jean Hannah Edelstein. The text is found in Worlds of English, p. 157. We will show you examples of elements in the text that will be relevant for your analysis. In these notes, we will focus on the summary, structure, sender, receiver, theme and message, characteristics of the text, and help you put the text in perspective.

Presentation of the text

Title: “I Killed Britney Spears”
Author: Jean Hannah Edelstein
Published in: Bad Idea
Date of Publication: 2008
Genre: Essay

Jean Hannah Edelstein is an american journalist who lives in New York City and collaborates with British newspapers like The Guardian and The Independent. She also writes works of fiction.

Topic of the text

The topic of the text is the public’s responsibility when reading tabloid magazines. As consumers of tabloid media, people share a part of the responsibility of ruining celebrities’ reputation. The more the public reads tabloid media, the more this type of media is motivated to find out and disclose shameful, private, or simply negative aspects of celebrities’ lives.

Further help

Do you want additional help with analysis of non-fiction? See our general guide to non-fiction analysis.