Read, in Schlereth,

Chapter 3.   "Housing," the rest of the chapter (from house spaces on p. 118 to 139

in Fink,

4.3.  A Visiting Rudyard Kipling Returns, Unimpressed, from Chicago 1899 pp. 121 - 122
4.4.  Poet Carl Sandburg Extols the City of the Big Shoulders, 1916 pp. 122-123.

A house is a stage upon which the dramas of families are enacted.  There is, of course, some coherence between the "set" and the "play".  As the American family changed around the turn of the century, so did the ordering and design of interior spaces.  We'll want to take note of those changes.  Be sure that you recognize that full-blown spaces can be symbolized in simple articles of furniture by persons of more modest means:  For example, if one cannot have a library, perhaps one can have a book case or a shelf of books.  No space for a family chapel?  Well, a religious lithograph on the wall can serve as well.

Most of city building stock is residential, regardless of the size of the city.  We will return to look at cities later in the semester, if all goes according to plan, but I thought it would be a good idea to get an impression of what they were like at this point.  Kipling is English, and views the rawness of Chicago with disdain.  Sandburg makes a virtue of necessity and applauds what he sees.  The rawness is a product of the rapid growth, as much as anything.

For Wednesday, February 27

Read, in Schlereth,

.Chapter 4.  "Consuming," pp. 140-157 (to Channeling Wishes)

in Fink,

11.1.  Theodore Dreiser's Carrie Discovers the Department Store  pp. 326 - 327
11.2.  Charlotte Perkins Gilman Seeks to Extricate Women from the Trap of Consumerism  pp. 327 - 328

From the Internet:

Visit The Founders of Sears, Roebuck And Company, which you will find at http://www.bgsu.edu/departments/acs/1890s/sears/sears.html  This is a student project produced at the American Culture Studies program at Bowling Green States University.  Follow the links and get some sense of the importance of this merchandising giant in the 1890s.  Imagine your alter ego's encounter with Sears.

I'm reminded as I write this of the Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's call to the American people following the tragedy of September 11.  He appealed to all of us to come to New York City and spend a little money.  This class period we'll look at changes in American patterns of consumption, which include the creation of a new shopping environment, the Department Store, and a perfected merchandising tool made possible by improvements in mail delivery and in the railroads, the mail order catalog.

The new emphasis on spend, spend, spend, and have, have, have was not without its critics.  We'll see this in the two pieces in Fink.

Read, in  Schlereth,

Chapter 4, "Consuming,"  pp. 157 - 167 (Channeling Wishes to end)

From the Internet:

Visit The Emergence of Advertising in America: 1850 - 1920   which you'll find at http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/eaa/.  This site, sponsored by Duke University is a fascinating look at the advertising which fueled the emerging Consumer Economy.   While there, I want you to do two things:  First, visit the Timeline, and see what were the innovations of our time period (c. 1885-1910).  Second, Browse through the advertisements (try to allow yourself about an hour, at least.  Putting on the character of your alter ego, locate an advertisement which would have appealed to you.  Print it off, and bring it with you to class.  If you get to this project early enough, e-mail me the URL for the advertisement and I'll try to get a transparency made for throwing up on the screen. (If you have access to a color printer which will print on transparencies you can print off the advertisement yourself.  I'll try to remember to bring some transparencies with me to class on Wednesday)

With modern consumerism comes modern advertising.  We'll explore the messages being given to all of us in this class session.