home > paid book/ebook

Class: A Guide Through the American Status System

Customer Reviews:

Still current, still very funny

By Antonio - September 28, 2001

I read this book some ten years ago, and it struck me as most humourous and overall correct.

Although I was born in South America, I have lived and studied in the US, and I have studied and worked in France and the UK. My experience in all these geographies supports Fussell's conclusions. It is true that the higher the social class, the taller and slimmer people tend to be. It is true that the traditional lower (rather than the underclass) and the higher classes have many things in common, among them a deeply ingrained conservatism and a fierce pride in their way of being. In the UK, working class men's clubs are fighting the same fight which was lost a few years ago by the gentlemen's clubs: the right to keep women away from at least some parts of their premises. Many working class people all over the world deride attempts by others of a similar origin to "pass themselves out" as middle class, and regard middle class dress, speech patterns and social habits as... read more

You'll Hate it or You'll Love it, but You'll Never Forget It

By Renee Thorpe - July 8, 2001

Bitingly witty and embarassingly well focused look at the main classes within American society. Yes, there is an American aristocracy, but they aren't driving around in Ferraris or living in Beverly Hills. There is even a sort of aristocracy amongst the working class people whom Fussell generally refers to as proles. Fussell's sharp eye has found and catalogued an amazing array of signs that indicate class in America. Try to spot these signs at your next social gathering, or even subject your own living room to the survey at the end of the book (frighteningly accurate way to determine one's class)! This is a book based on pigeon-holing people, and that is probably what most annoyed readers can't stand about Fussell. But class distinctions do exist, like 'em or not. The middle class hope to rise in class by sending their kids to Harvard or Yale, the Proles hope to do the same by getting more money. Lucky "X Class" people don't give a hoot about such climbing, and... read more

Peck, be pecked, or choose not to peck...

By ewomack "ewomack" - May 25, 2006

Class pervades American life. Each day people judge and rank others by appearance, manners, language, and "taste" in a great societal pecking order. Some of this happens by reflex. For certain people a man in a tank top carries a high "ewww" factor. Others wince at anything monogrammed (a sure sign that the wearer seeks attention). Some may even take offense at compliments while others find the lack of a compliment an affront. It's a complicated game, and not everyone chooses to participate. But for many the game goes unnoticed.

This small book provides a good overview of the rules of the American class game. Paul Fussell delineates the choices people make that cause others to judge and categorize them (since people don't choose their race that subject doesn't appear). Everything from clothes, cars, diction, consumption (conspicuous or inconspicuous), education, housing styles, and physique to pets, reading material, jewelry, food, words, sports, interior decorating,... read more

Use coupon below to get discount at eCampus.com!

SHADES
$3 off textbook orders over $75

SUNBLOCK
$4 off textbook orders over $90

SUNSHINE
$5 off textbook orders over $100

Copy the coupon code before clicking the button!

AVAILABILITY
MerchantFormatPrice
Amazon USPaperback$1.01 - $14.99
BookBytePaperback$12.80
eCampusPaperback$12.74 discount!
PREVIEW
Related Documents
A Guide Through the Theory of Knowledge

A Guide Through the Theory of Knowledge

$2.00

A Guide Through the Theory of Knowledge

A Guide Through the Theory of Knowledge

A Guide Through the Theory of Knowledge

$135.14

A Guide Through the Theory of Knowledge

National Economy: A History of the American Protective System and Its Effects upon the Several Branches of Domestic Industry

National Economy: A History of the American Protective System and Its Effects upon the Several Branches…

$26.64

National Economy: A History of the American Protective System and Its Effects upon the Several Branches of Domestic Industry

National Economy: A History of the American Protective System and Its Effects upon the Several Branches of Domestic Industry

National Economy: A History of the American Protective System and Its Effects upon the Several Branches…

$37.17

National Economy: A History of the American Protective System and Its Effects upon the Several Branches of Domestic Industry

Necessary Changes: A Guide Through the Four Seasons of Life

Necessary Changes: A Guide Through the Four Seasons of Life

$18.48

Necessary Changes: A Guide Through the Four Seasons of Life

Necessary Changes: A Guide Through the Four Seasons of Life

Necessary Changes: A Guide Through the Four Seasons of Life

$28.23

Necessary Changes: A Guide Through the Four Seasons of Life

Japanese Kanji & Kana Revised Edition: A Guide to the Japanese Writing System (Tuttle Language Library)

Japanese Kanji & Kana Revised Edition: A Guide to the Japanese Writing System (Tuttle Language Library)…

$0.01 - $24.95

Since 1981, Japanese Kanji & Kana by Wolfgang Hadamitzky and Mark Spahn has been one of the most trusted and popular study guides for beginning and intermediate students of Japanese. This ...

Conflict And Communication: A Guide Through The Labyrinth Of Conflict Management

Conflict And Communication: A Guide Through The Labyrinth Of Conflict Management

$29.20

Conflict And Communication: A Guide Through The Labyrinth Of Conflict Management

Pharmacetical Applications in the European Union: A Guide Through the Registration Maze

Pharmacetical Applications in the European Union: A Guide Through the Registration Maze

$282.70

Pharmacetical Applications in the European Union: A Guide Through the Registration Maze

Powerful Playstation 2 Repair Guide: A Guide Through The Playstation 2 Repair Process

Powerful Playstation 2 Repair Guide: A Guide Through The Playstation 2 Repair Process

$21.40

Powerful Playstation 2 Repair Guide: A Guide Through The Playstation 2 Repair Process

loading