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This classic of economic thought is a scathing critique of American snobbery and wastefulness. Chief among the practices that Veblen so wittily satirizes is "conspicuous consumption", a pattern of behaviour that still flourishes among us.
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Thorstein Veblen (1857-1929) was a US economist and social critic.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This may not be a book to read for recreation, unless you like 1890s verbal locutions, but there are other reasons to read it. The emergence of the economic analysis of Western society might intrigue you. You might discover the origins of such still useful terms as 'leisure class' and 'conspicuous consumption,' among others. You might be curious about author Thorstein Veblen's status-conscious, anachronistic world of working men and idle wives, which reflects upper-class society in his day. Published in 1899, this is a classic in sociology and economic literature, although it is a veritable dreadnought of density. It discusses property, ownership, status and leisure in a turn-of-the-last-century American context. Though scholars call it a 'satire,' the book is neither witty nor ironic. Instead, it is a stolid analytical daguerreotype of a world long gone. We suggest that if you tackle Veblen's old-fashioned, slow-flowing prose, you should do it for the background you may glean and the scholarly satisfaction you may feel when you are done. Instead of Alexander Pope's, 'What oft was thought but ne'er so well expressed,' this book presents what oft was said and usually better, but not as early.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The book is a classic, when it comes to describing the modern economic, sociological and psychological makeup of society in spite of being first published in 1899. It can still be used as a guide to all those sciences, as well as a good introduction into where and how marketing / advertising can work / appeal.
The authors starts with the gender role evolution (a similar, more modern text on the same subject, which might be an easier read is Jared Diamond's Science Master: Why Is Sex Fun? The Evolution Of Human Sexuality (Science Masters)) and then traces the development from the early, relatively undifferentiated society to the more modern, stratified one, characterised by the pecuniary (leisure) class on the one hand, and the industrial one on the other. The author then proceeds to show the role of dress, conspicuous consumption, leisure time, sports, institutions, religion, animism (aka luck), as well as education in strengthening and maintaining the system, always relating back to what developmental aspects lead to their development.
It makes for fascinating reading, both in terms of the clarity of thought the author applied, as well as how modern the work still is content wise, and how applicable to today's society, over 100 years after the book was first published. The evolutionary perspective, as used by the author, took a long time to be used so insightfully and comprehensively in social science research by others later on in the 20th century.
On top of that the work exudes a certain wittiness / sarcasm, which is not really apparent in a phrase or sentence, but comes across in the overall feel of it. There are no laugh out loud moments here but there will be a twinkle in your eye after reading a chapter.
The final comment I'd like to make about it is the writing style - this is the only aspect of the book, where the publication date is clearly apparent. It is relatively heavy going, with a rich but ponderous language (Veblen is no Stephen Fry), long sentences, no attempts at signposting, or introducing and concluding chapters, or for that matter, the book. It is not a commuting, holiday, or goodnight read, it does require one to apply oneself to it a bit more thoroughly.
The authors starts with the gender role evolution (a similar, more modern text on the same subject, which might be an easier read is Jared Diamond's Science Master: Why Is Sex Fun? The Evolution Of Human Sexuality (Science Masters)) and then traces the development from the early, relatively undifferentiated society to the more modern, stratified one, characterised by the pecuniary (leisure) class on the one hand, and the industrial one on the other. The author then proceeds to show the role of dress, conspicuous consumption, leisure time, sports, institutions, religion, animism (aka luck), as well as education in strengthening and maintaining the system, always relating back to what developmental aspects lead to their development.
It makes for fascinating reading, both in terms of the clarity of thought the author applied, as well as how modern the work still is content wise, and how applicable to today's society, over 100 years after the book was first published. The evolutionary perspective, as used by the author, took a long time to be used so insightfully and comprehensively in social science research by others later on in the 20th century.
On top of that the work exudes a certain wittiness / sarcasm, which is not really apparent in a phrase or sentence, but comes across in the overall feel of it. There are no laugh out loud moments here but there will be a twinkle in your eye after reading a chapter.
The final comment I'd like to make about it is the writing style - this is the only aspect of the book, where the publication date is clearly apparent. It is relatively heavy going, with a rich but ponderous language (Veblen is no Stephen Fry), long sentences, no attempts at signposting, or introducing and concluding chapters, or for that matter, the book. It is not a commuting, holiday, or goodnight read, it does require one to apply oneself to it a bit more thoroughly.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I can't write a review of this book without criticising the writing style. It is infuriatingly over-elaborate in a way that grates from the off. It simply makes reading the book an irritating experience, despite the interesting content.
And the content is worth the effort. Famously Veblen skewered the tendency of people to project themselves through their purchases, clothing and lifestyle - conspicious consumption as he dubbed it. He claimed that this has its roots in the evolution of civilisation, as the leisure class developed ways to signify its superiority and the lack of a need to work. This was an important insight at the time as it added more depth to understanding of human behaviour in respect of economic activity (ie we buy stuff we don't need and of little actual value).
There's also some quite insightful stuff in here about the status of women in society and how their role develops, including the suggestion that women in the leisure class have a greater tendency towards feminism than those from the working class. Plus he seeks to explain conservatism amongst the leisure class by reference to them being shielded from economic reality. And he does a number on religiosity and 'higher learning'.
There's some simplistic rubbish in here also about the survival of various human traits because of the changed nature of society. I think the science has left his speculation here behind, as it seems that actually some of our core attitudes (to fairness for example) may be more deeply-engrained and have a much earlier origin than his rather simple model of economic cause and effect allows.
But this is enjoyable (content-wise) as a bit of satire, and it's probably best viewed in there terms, particularly given the total lack of evidence and references.
I still can't forgive the horrible writing style though.
And the content is worth the effort. Famously Veblen skewered the tendency of people to project themselves through their purchases, clothing and lifestyle - conspicious consumption as he dubbed it. He claimed that this has its roots in the evolution of civilisation, as the leisure class developed ways to signify its superiority and the lack of a need to work. This was an important insight at the time as it added more depth to understanding of human behaviour in respect of economic activity (ie we buy stuff we don't need and of little actual value).
There's also some quite insightful stuff in here about the status of women in society and how their role develops, including the suggestion that women in the leisure class have a greater tendency towards feminism than those from the working class. Plus he seeks to explain conservatism amongst the leisure class by reference to them being shielded from economic reality. And he does a number on religiosity and 'higher learning'.
There's some simplistic rubbish in here also about the survival of various human traits because of the changed nature of society. I think the science has left his speculation here behind, as it seems that actually some of our core attitudes (to fairness for example) may be more deeply-engrained and have a much earlier origin than his rather simple model of economic cause and effect allows.
But this is enjoyable (content-wise) as a bit of satire, and it's probably best viewed in there terms, particularly given the total lack of evidence and references.
I still can't forgive the horrible writing style though.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Hard work, but incredibly insightful
Before you set about reading this book it is important to remember one thing: the book was written in 1899 and as such reads that way. Read more
Published 14 months ago by M. Kearney
Pedestrian gawping of little value, I'm afraid...
I'd been to led to expect this book was an account of rather silly snobberies by the rich. And that it was exquisite in scholarship, writing style, and detail. Wrong. Read more
Published on 4 July 2009 by Rerevisionist
Good remedy for insomnia
This is a widely acclaimed phesis on class and consumer culture a la loadsamoney, coined in the term Veblen used 'conspicuous consumption'. Read more
Published on 6 Dec 2008 by SJB
A CLASSIC ABOUT CONSUMERISM
This opus by Veblen exposes the real meaning of the pecuniary advancement of the working and merchant classes, and the formation of elites based mostly upon money and asset... Read more
Published on 29 Oct 2002 by Luciano Lupini
The Material Structure of Society Laid Bare.
Cynical or 100% Truth? Basically, if you're reading this book you'll probably already have fairly stringent views on the class system and how backstabbing and vainglorious the... Read more
Published on 13 April 2001 by Richard Saunders
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