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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
Biting and hilarious, and relevant to this day. Shocking how little has changed in 30 years. The actual social signifiers may be different, the underlying observation rings true. And alas, the more upsetting one finds this book, the more probably one is Middle Class.
Huge disappointment. I knew Fussell from Wartime & Great War & Modern Memory. I thought this would be a serious book, but instead, it was a long list of droll observations about Americans' class obsessions and blind spots, written more like a long opinion piece in the Atlantic or something than a more scholarly work.
Not that everything needs to be dry & fully exhaustive, but this was the sort of thing you can really just skim through and then toss away.
Not that everything needs to be dry & fully exhaustive, but this was the sort of thing you can really just skim through and then toss away.
informative
medium-paced
Inspired to read this by a recent review in the Atlantic. Coincidentally, it turned out that I had just read an excerpt from his ex-wife's memoir (in a foodie anthology) and thus had insight on his own lifestyle relative to what he was describing and mocking. Overall, it was actually a fun book. And I really don't think it was intended to be at all serious. He made regular reference to [b:The Preppie Handbook|120254|The Official Preppy Handbook|Lisa Birnbach|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1181140037s/120254.jpg|115790], which had recently made a killing (I feel so old for remembering it, too) and he seemed to mainly be trying to ride its economic coattails. He mocked his own lifestyle (without admitting it was his own) just as much as the rest. And it was interesting to see exactly what got mocked. It wasn't basic cruel snobbery. The very rich were treated much more cruelly than the very poor. Very much in the Paris Hilton model, the lot of them. He was remarkably sympathetic to the poor (proles), pointing out their understandable frustrations (like demeaning jobs) as an explanation of some of their tackier tendencies. And his biggest criticism of the middle class was that they are too hung up on what other people think of them, and that is really not an insult. Or, at the very least, it's very constructive criticism. (Although I'm still smarting at the repeated digs about New Yorker readers of course.) A lot of what he was describing was aspirational marketing, which consumers are more conscious of today than they were back then. Also, he made some perfectly valid (even today) observations about the major shortcomings of U.S. higher education. Overall, I don't feel compelled to try to move from middle class to 'X,' although that was his actual goal with the book. (Being that generation is enough. Confusing!) Really, they're their own kind of shallow. And grimy! Finally, his praise at the end for the bohemian lifestyle, with such attention paid to their free love practices when he hadn't addressed relationships at any point prior, makes a lot more sense when you know why his marriage crashed and burned.
Noted curmudgeon Paul Fussell wrote this book as guide toward the American class system. He defines nine social classes from bottom out of sight to top out of sight. Despite the protestations of many people, a class system definitely exists in America. (I digress but even a further shift towards socialism wouldn't eliminate classes though it may re-define them). Fussell observes that how we live, work, play, etc. all go towards defining where we lie in the social stratum.
Several reviewers have already described this book as an eye-opener. Here is one more voice to the chorus.
Fussell's study of class in America in the 20th century still holds up, even to someone who lives in the other hemisphere, and wasn't even born when it was written.
The examples are old, sure, but the arguments and the core analysis is timeless. It made me rethink my notions of what a "class" is, as well as my own self-perception. I feel slightly self-aware saying that it hit a nerve more that I would've liked.
The ways Fussell's witty analysis is accurate are too many to count. From speech to education to manners. For example, if at any point you fell down the rabbit hole of fashion influencers and their endless "rules" and not-so-hidden snobbery, this world will make a whole lot more sense after you read this book.
A book that made me understand myself and the world better, with a couple of laughs along the way. What more could I ask?
Fussell's study of class in America in the 20th century still holds up, even to someone who lives in the other hemisphere, and wasn't even born when it was written.
The examples are old, sure, but the arguments and the core analysis is timeless. It made me rethink my notions of what a "class" is, as well as my own self-perception. I feel slightly self-aware saying that it hit a nerve more that I would've liked.
The ways Fussell's witty analysis is accurate are too many to count. From speech to education to manners. For example, if at any point you fell down the rabbit hole of fashion influencers and their endless "rules" and not-so-hidden snobbery, this world will make a whole lot more sense after you read this book.
A book that made me understand myself and the world better, with a couple of laughs along the way. What more could I ask?
First of all, I had never read a book on sociology before — what a topic! Highly recommend the topic in general to immigrants or children of immigrants. It brings so much insight to unfamiliar cultures.
Back to the topic at hand — this book encouraged many interesting conversations in my personal life. It took me a while to read because I often paused to debate the author’s ideas with people. The first few pages that distinguish how classes are unique from one another made a huge impact on my work as a financial counselor and made me rethink the way I structured my priorities. Particularly in regards to appreciating privacy. Written in the early 80’s there are obviously references and observations that are outdated, but this book is social commentary, not science. Loved reading it, loved talking about it. It is controversial, it’s gauche, it’s fair, it’s unfair, it’s desperate, it’s fascinating.
Back to the topic at hand — this book encouraged many interesting conversations in my personal life. It took me a while to read because I often paused to debate the author’s ideas with people. The first few pages that distinguish how classes are unique from one another made a huge impact on my work as a financial counselor and made me rethink the way I structured my priorities. Particularly in regards to appreciating privacy. Written in the early 80’s there are obviously references and observations that are outdated, but this book is social commentary, not science. Loved reading it, loved talking about it. It is controversial, it’s gauche, it’s fair, it’s unfair, it’s desperate, it’s fascinating.
Well, I cannot say I recommend this book to anyone. But I enjoyed parts, and obviously I finished it quickly. I definitely muttered "Christ, what a prick" multiple times.
He's oddly prescient, though, with his description of X types. We live in what I think he might call an "Xified" world, where everybody wants to be an artist or intellectual and everybody works for themselves rathe rthan The Man. He really, really missess the mark though when he implies that the growing of the X class would be good at all. (Aren't we all miserable?)
He's oddly prescient, though, with his description of X types. We live in what I think he might call an "Xified" world, where everybody wants to be an artist or intellectual and everybody works for themselves rathe rthan The Man. He really, really missess the mark though when he implies that the growing of the X class would be good at all. (Aren't we all miserable?)