Keeping Up with the Joneses: Envy in American Consumer Society, 1890-1930 [Hardcover]

Susan J. Matt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2002

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"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

About the Author

Susan J. Matt teaches history at Weber State University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 232 pages
• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press (November 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812236866
• ISBN-13: 978-0812236866
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #577,188 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, June 17, 2011

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JDN - See all my reviews

This review is from: Keeping Up with the Joneses: Envy in American Consumer Society, 1890-1930 (Hardcover)

Matt offers something special in this book. I read it for a history course in undergrad (if you go to UNCW and have Dr. Gordon you may read it). Its a great read though even as a non-fiction. The book tracks the birth of consumerism in the United States, which was a nascent concept in the period Matt addresses. It truly is amazing at how Americans went from satisfied and content individuals to product hungry mongers in only a couple short decades... Obviously the industrial revolution provided the platform with the goods, but nevertheless it is quite amazing to think about what this nation was before consumerism hit and became a staple in both our economy and our everyday lives. As I recall, this book may also address the advertising devlopment that directly correllated with consumerism itself.

Great read and it will enlighten you and make you think about your next frivilous purchase from Amazon and whether or not you are just "keeping up with the joneses"