Keeping Up with the Joneses Envy in American Consumer Society,
1890-1930 Susan J. Matt "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 the golden years of the nascent
consumer economy, which Susan J. Matt . . . defines as the period
between 1890 and 1930. She explains that we couldn't be a nation of
consumers until we were given public license to envy."--"New York
Times" "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" "Drawing on memoirs, magazine
articles, and sociological studies as well as reading between the
lines of advertising copy, Matt gracefully evokes the pathos of
consumerism in its formative years. . . . In highlighting the
significance of envy as both the raw mental material and the
ultimate product of consumer capitalism, this boldly argued book
creatively extends the history of emotions."--"American Historical
Review" 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 different groups within the middle class--men in white-collar
jobs, bourgeois women, farm families, and children--responded to
the transformation in social and cultural life. "Keeping Up with
the Joneses" traces how attitudes about envy changed as department
stores, mail-order catalogs, magazines, movies, and advertising
became more prevalent, and the mass production of imitation luxury
goods offered middle- and working-class individuals the opportunity
to emulate upper-class life. Between 1890 and 1910 moralists sought
to tame envy and emulation in order to uphold a moral economy and
preserve social order. They criticized the liberal-capitalist
preoccupation with personal striving and advancement and praised
the virtue of contentment. They admonished the bourgeoisie to be
satisfied with their circumstances and cease yearning for their
neighbors' possessions. After 1910 more secular commentators gained
ground, repudiating the doctrine of contentment and rejecting the
notion that there were divinely ordained limits on what each class
should possess. They encouraged everyone to pursue the objects of
desire. Envy was no longer a sin, but a valuable economic
stimulant. The expansion of consumer economy fostered such
institutions as department stores and advertising firms, but it
also depended on a transformation in attitudes and emotional codes.
Matt explores the ways gender, geography, and age shaped this
transformation. Bridging the history of emotions and the history of
consumerism, she uncovers the connection between changing social
norms and the growth of the consumer economy. Susan J. Matt teaches
history at Weber State University. 2002 232 pages 6 x 9 10 illus.
ISBN 978-0-8122-3686-6 Cloth $49.95s 32.50 ISBN 978-0-8122-0272-4
Ebook $49.95s 32.50 World Rights American History, Cultural
Studies, Business
General
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