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The Theory of the Leisure Class

Thorstein Veblen
Edited by Martha Banta

May 2009

ISBN: 9780199552580

304 pages
Paperback
196x129mm

In Stock

Oxford World's Classics

Price: £9.99

Veblen's landmark study of affluent American society exposes the 'pecuniary culture' and 'conspicuous consumption' that results when unessential goods are exploited at the expense of production of true value. This new edition examines Veblen's still pertinent arguments.

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Veblen's landmark study of affluent American society exposes the 'pecuniary culture' and 'conspicuous consumption' that results when unessential goods are exploited at the expense of production of true value. This new edition examines Veblen's still pertinent arguments.

  • Thorstein Veblen's searing indictment of modern consumer society is startlingly relevant in a world of Paris Hiltons and Victoria Beckhams; this edition is a timely reminder of the human cost paid for waste in all its forms.
  • Veblen's critique covers all aspects of modern life from dress, class, the position of women, home decoration, industry, business, and sport to religion, scholarship, and education.
  • Martha Banta's excellent Introduction places a new emphasis on the literary force of Veblen's writing and its influence on later American writers such as Edith Wharton, Henry James, Dos Passos and Scott Fitzgerald. She also considers his critique of the plight of women and his evolutionary arguments as they relate to modern society.

About the Author(s)

Thorstein Veblen

Edited by Martha Banta, Professor Emeritus, University of Calilfornia, Los Angeles

Table of Contents

    Introduction
    Pecuniary Emulation
    Conspicuous Leisure
    Conspicuous Consumption
    The Pecuniary Standard of Living
    Pecuniary Canons of Taste
    Dress as an Expression of the Pecuniary Culture
    Industrial Exemption and Conservatism
    The Conservation of Archaic Traits
    Modern Survivals of Prowess
    The Belief in Luck
    Devout Observances
    Survivals of the Non-Invidious Interest
    The Higher Learning as an Expression of the Pecuniary Culture

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