The four elements of fame — by Leo Braudy

• A person

• An accomplishment

• Immediate publicity

• "What posterity has thought about them ever since"

From Eric Felten's September 11, 2009 "De Gustibus" column in the Wall Street Journal: "'Fame is made up of four elements,' writes Leo Braudy in his 1986 book 'The Frenzy of Renown': a person, an accomplishment, immediate publicity and, as he puts it, "what posterity has thought about them ever since." Or at least that is what fame used to be. Nowadays, we have the person, but no accomplishment; we have the immediate publicity (and lots of it), but posterity will only ask "who?" Which is to say that what passes for fame now is a counterfeit."