October 25, 2010

By: Susan M. from New York, NY
Comments: 19

Posted By: Susan Miller
On: 6/27/2007 10:42:21 AM

This is the title of a book by Kenneth Ames, "dean" of American culture studies. I thought of it again recently and realized that it is a great resource to pass along. In this book, Ames investigates and analyzes Victorian ethos and culture by looking at prominent pieces of material culture: a sideboard, player piano, hall stand and a few more. It is a great resource for thinking about how to integrate material culture studies into a history curriculum. Great book for anyone who is interested in this way of thinking, and possibly a resource for high school design and/or history.

Posted By: Carolyn Drake
On: 8/21/2007 1:10:26 AM

The authors Henry James and Edith Wharton each wrote fiction where physical place and material objects were resonant and meaningful as cultural signifiers. This extended to the role of art and theatre and the nature of public space, as the time they were writing in saw the development of public spaces such as gardens, parks, city squares, etc. where women in particular became far more visible -- to the general public -- than before. In novels including James's _The Portrait of a Lady_ and Wharton's _The House of Mirth_, access and control over public and private space and display of wealth in rooms and on bodies play crucial roles in the fates of characters, again, especially women (who have of course bizarrely coexisted as subject and object throughout most of history). Edith Wharton was also a great student of interior design and wrote _The Decoration of Houses_ in 1898. I'll admit this fiction is not for the faint of heart: it's long, intense, and difficult (possessing an oft-baroque inclination myself, I can't help but think it divine). But it also offers a window into examining the role of material objects and built environments that, in our name-brand culture, is all too relevant.

Posted By: Lisa Morein
On: 6/19/2008 9:18:42 AM

Dear Susan, I have often thought about using turn of the century (19th to 20th) American literature that defines the period architecture. Another novel that is a good resource for this type of unit is The Rise of Silas Lapham by W. D. Howells.

Posted By: Lisa Morein
On: 6/19/2008 9:35:15 AM

Susan, Thank you so much for the heads up on the Ames book. I immediately went to Amazon and ordered myself a copy. Learning about culture by studying how people lived and the things they used day to day leads to fascinating discoveries about the times, it people, and its social structure. Lisa from CHAD