Consumerism and Prestige
Product details
- ISBN 9781839982767
- Weight: 454g
- Dimensions: 153 x 229mm
- Publication Date: 05 Jul 2022
- Publisher: Anthem Press
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Hardback
- Language: English
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This anthology explores the relationships and interdependencies between literary production and distinctions of taste by examining how the material aspects of literary texts, such as the cover, binding, typography and paper stock, reflect or even determine their cultural status. In many cases, for example, the distinctions between “highbrow” and “lowbrow” taste have little to do with the content of the texts themselves, as books often function as markers of socioeconomic status, like clothing or home décor. One might even go so far as to say that the concept of literary taste is more closely related to fashion sense than critical judgment. The anthology seeks to address this claim by examining how the tensions between consumerism and prestige reflect fundamental historical changes with regard to the development of technology, literacy and social power.
Anthony Enns is an associate professor in the Department of English at Dalhousie University.
Bernhard Metz is an associate director of the SNF-funded project “Online-Edition der Rezensionen und Briefe Albrecht von Hallers” at the University of Bern.
