Flamboyance by Jack Parlett review – a serious study of the spectacular

Jack Parlett's "Flamboyance" explores the concept of pushing boundaries and the potential for peacocking to be more than superficial display. The book, a blend of memoir and cultural history, examines societal attempts to "push the boat out," noting the inherent risk of embarrassment or appearing naive. Parlett identifies Oscar Wilde and Susan Sontag's concept of camp, characterized by artifice and performance, as strategies to mitigate these risks through irony and cynicism. However, the author suggests these approaches fall short, proposing flamboyance as a more robust model for living a life that possesses "resistant energy" and integrates political consciousness. Parlett critiques the idea of "art for art's sake," arguing that understanding cultural phenomena like flamenco requires acknowledging their historical and political contexts, such as the history of fascism in Spain.