LEADER 04954nam 2200757Ia 450 001 9910787542003321 005 20220114024649.0 010 $a0-8122-0272-4 024 7 $a10.9783/9780812202724 035 $a(CKB)2670000000418155 035 $a(OCoLC)859162235 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebrary10748325 035 $a(SSID)ssj0001101173 035 $a(PQKBManifestationID)11586314 035 $a(PQKBTitleCode)TC0001101173 035 $a(PQKBWorkID)11068447 035 $a(PQKB)10708456 035 $a(MdBmJHUP)muse29213 035 $a(DE-B1597)449128 035 $a(OCoLC)1013944005 035 $a(OCoLC)979748167 035 $a(DE-B1597)9780812202724 035 $a(Au-PeEL)EBL3442015 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebr10748325 035 $a(CaONFJC)MIL682413 035 $a(MiAaPQ)EBC3442015 035 $a(EXLCZ)992670000000418155 100 $a20020731d2003 uy 0 101 0 $aeng 135 $aurcn||||||||| 181 $ctxt 182 $cc 183 $acr 200 10$aKeeping up with the Joneses$b[electronic resource] $eenvy in American consumer society, 1890-1930 /$fSusan J. Matt 210 $aPhiladelphia $cUniversity of Pennsylvania Press$dc2003 215 $a1 online resource (232 p.) 300 $aBased on her Ph. D. thesis presented to Cornell University 1996. 311 0 $a1-322-51131-4 311 0 $a0-8122-3686-6 320 $aIncludes bibliographical references (p. [187]-214) and index. 327 $tFront matter --$tContents --$tIntroduction --$t1. City Women and the Quest for Status --$t2. Envy in the Office --$t3. "The Prizes of Life Lie Away from the Farm" --$t4. From "Sturdy Yeoman" to "Hayseed" --$t5. Coming of Age in Consumer Society --$tConclusion --$tNotes --$tIndex --$tAcknowledgments 330 $aA 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. 606 $aSocial values$zUnited States$xHistory 606 $aEnvy$xSocial aspects 606 $aSocial status$zUnited States$xHistory 606 $aConsumption (Economics)$xSocial aspects$zUnited States 606 $aSocial change$zUnited States$xHistory$y20th century 610 $aAmerican History. 610 $aAmerican Studies. 610 $aBusiness. 610 $aCultural Studies. 610 $aEconomics. 615 0$aSocial values$xHistory. 615 0$aEnvy$xSocial aspects. 615 0$aSocial status$xHistory. 615 0$aConsumption (Economics)$xSocial aspects 615 0$aSocial change$xHistory 676 $a303.3/72/0973 700 $aMatt$b Susan J$g(Susan Jipson),$f1967-$01519559 801 0$bMiAaPQ 801 1$bMiAaPQ 801 2$bMiAaPQ 906 $aBOOK 912 $a9910787542003321 996 $aKeeping up with the Joneses$93809403 997 $aUNINA