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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Very boring, I'm sorry Erving
An important step on the road to conceiving of social status identities as performances, sure, but what really makes this book cool are the examples from the 1950s and earlier. Goffman quotes [b:The Second Sex|457264|The Second Sex|Simone de Beauvoir|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327978178l/457264._SY75_.jpg|879666] several times but also from many sociology articles and books about criminals, salespeople and servants including prostitutes, and deviance more generally. The freakiest stuff for me came from reports about women in college -- "co-eds" -- just that way of thinking is already like wtf? Co-eds. And these women talk about playing stupid in order to be attractive to boys. Disturbing. Especially since that probably still happens. Guys! Patriarchy is robbing us of relationships built on trust, it is blinding us to wonderful things we might learn from women... just more reasons to work to dismantle it. Goffman also takes a lot from his own ethnographic study of a Shetland Island crofter community. Which reminded me of a certain crime series ([b:Raven Black|644655|Raven Black (Shetland Island, #1)|Ann Cleeves|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1437937604l/644655._SY75_.jpg|2327400]Shetland). I also enjoyed the lingo the different groups portrayed use to keep aspects of their performance a secret from the audience. Shoe sales clerks had some funny tricks back then. Class rears its foamy mane a few times as well. All-in-all an excellent read but it left me wondering if there wasn’t something more up-to-date that would have been more mind-blowing. I’ll have to browse the library shelf this copy came from.
Goffman intellectualises common sense human interactions. His main insight being that humans 'act' around other humans.
I found myself skimming large sections of this book due to their sheer obviousness and then cringing at race and gender based observations which aged incredibly poorly.
This book was probably very important in academia... Would I recommend reading it. No.
I found myself skimming large sections of this book due to their sheer obviousness and then cringing at race and gender based observations which aged incredibly poorly.
This book was probably very important in academia... Would I recommend reading it. No.
DNF, I just couldn't even read the first few pages. Maybe the font, maybe the topic, I'll never know. No rating because that seems unfair.
one of the bases of sociology, and i can see why that is.
may seem like a "basic" read that anyone who is a human may understand, but sometimes we do need to be reminded through literary devices and such.
the ideals of performance specifically and such were my favourite aspects of the essay. would recommend it to anyone interested in started sociology or who wants to better understand the way people interact within Anglo-American society as a performance. but there is also a whole hell lot of shit that's ridiculously outdated, so one must be careful.
may seem like a "basic" read that anyone who is a human may understand, but sometimes we do need to be reminded through literary devices and such.
the ideals of performance specifically and such were my favourite aspects of the essay. would recommend it to anyone interested in started sociology or who wants to better understand the way people interact within Anglo-American society as a performance. but there is also a whole hell lot of shit that's ridiculously outdated, so one must be careful.
All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances.
"As You Like It" Act II, Scene VII, William Shakespeare
An insightful read employing the analogy terminology of performance, with plentiful examples, to make sense of how to present ourselves to each other and the world in daily life. The prose of this is a bit too dense and academic, thus challenging for casual reading, 3 ½ stars rating rounded down.
"As You Like It" Act II, Scene VII, William Shakespeare
An insightful read employing the analogy terminology of performance, with plentiful examples, to make sense of how to present ourselves to each other and the world in daily life. The prose of this is a bit too dense and academic, thus challenging for casual reading, 3 ½ stars rating rounded down.
informative
slow-paced
An interesting and valid analysis of social interaction and its application to our constructed selves. The examples are a bit dated and I wish the author spent more time on analysis than description.
slow-paced
dire, only read for uni, dated but some useful cross-referencing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism
Must have been groundbreaking at the time, but oh wow, so dated. So racist, sexist and weird.