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Keeping Up with the Joneses: Envy in American Consumer Society, 1890-1930
Susan J. Matt
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Description for Keeping Up with the Joneses: Envy in American Consumer Society, 1890-1930
Hardback. Examines a key transition in the meaning of envy for the American middle class. This book traces how attitudes about envy changed as department stores, magazines, movies, and advertising became prevalent, and the mass production of imitation luxury goods offered middle- and working-class individuals the opportunity to emulate upper-class life. Num Pages: 232 pages, 10 illus. BIC Classification: 1KBB; GT; HBTB. Category: (U) Tertiary Education (US: College). Dimension: 229 x 152 x 17. Weight in Grams: 520.
A century ago many Americans condemned envy as a destructive emotion and a sin. Today few Americans expect criticism when they express envy, and some commentators maintain that the emotion drives the economy. This shift in attitude is Susan Matt's central concern. Keeping up with the Joneses: Envy in American Consumer Society, 1890-1930 examines a key transition in the meaning of envy for the American middle class. Although people certainly have experienced envy throughout history, the expansion of the consumer economy at the turn of the twentieth century dramatically reshaped the social role of the emotion. Matt looks at how ... Read more
A century ago many Americans condemned envy as a destructive emotion and a sin. Today few Americans expect criticism when they express envy, and some commentators maintain that the emotion drives the economy. This shift in attitude is Susan Matt's central concern. Keeping up with the Joneses: Envy in American Consumer Society, 1890-1930 examines a key transition in the meaning of envy for the American middle class. Although people certainly have experienced envy throughout history, the expansion of the consumer economy at the turn of the twentieth century dramatically reshaped the social role of the emotion. Matt looks at how ... Read more
Product Details
Publisher
University of Pennsylvania Press
Format
Hardback
Publication date
2002
Condition
New
Weight
519g
Number of Pages
232
Place of Publication
Pennsylvania, United States
ISBN
9780812236866
SKU
V9780812236866
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 7 to 11 working days
Ref
99-1
About Susan J. Matt
Susan J. Matt teaches history at Weber State University.
Reviews for Keeping Up with the Joneses: Envy in American Consumer Society, 1890-1930
In this lively short book, Susan J. Matt surveys the legitimization of consumer desire that paralleled the demise of Victorian culture and the rise of modern culture from 1890 to 1930. -Journal of American History How the Tenth Commandment (that's the one about coveting) became extinct is a tale of how the emotional style of this country mutated within ... Read more