Talking shop : the language of craft in an age of consumption / Peter Betjemann.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Betjemann, Peter J., 1973-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

American literature--19th century--History and criticism.

American literature.

American literature--20th century--History and criticism.

Material culture in literature.

Authenticity (Philosophy) in literature.

Artisans in literature.

Physical Description:

ix, 267 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Charlottesville : University of Virginia Press, 2011.

Summary:

Betjemann (English, Oregon State U.) offers a many-faceted investigation of 19th- and early 20th-century discourse on the subject of craft (rather than labor). His study encompasses early roots in western civilization (Benvenuto Cellini), and in American culture (Nathaniel Hawthorne), as well as manifestations in literature, advertising, and design trends (e.g. Gustav Stickley). The subject has ramifications that will interest a wide audience--anyone who deals with art, design, or marketing and consciously or unconsciously taps into language that is deeply embedded in the culture pertaining to quality, originality, authenticity, integrity--and stuff. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Contents:

The ghost writer; or, The canonization of Benvenuto Cellini

Legends of labor: Nathaniel Hawthorne and the voice of craft

The nature of gothic: artisanship, intuition, and the representation of expertise

In the American grain: Gustav Stickley and the artisanal type

The syntax of the eye: author, artisan, and the "more laboring ages" in Henry James's The spoils of Poynton

Conclusion.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780813931210

0813931215

9780813931692

081393169X

OCLC:

695860341