The Theory of the Leisure Class (Modern Library Classics)

1. Describe the process by which property and ownership gain an important status in the early stages of a civilization s development. What relationship does Veblen see between the accumulation of wealth, the establishment and maintenance of a leisure class, and the display of virtue and prowess in early cultures? What are the distinctions between those members of an early community who display virtue and those who, because of position or capacity, cannot? 2. Conspicuous consumption is Veblen s most famous coinage. What is the role of the conspicuous consumer in the leisure class? How is conspicuous consumption related to conspicuous leisure? Give examples of people in or associated with the leisure class who devote their lives to conspicuous displays of consumption or leisure and describe how doing so enhances their position in their society. Similarly, describe the function of vicarious consumption and vicarious leisure. 3. A standard criticism of The Theory of the Leisure Class is that, although Veblen s analysis of the development of a leisure class does describe social pressure to maintain or acquire certain social distinctions, he focuses too closely on the economic aspects of class and does not give the proper due to purely social processes. Do you believe, as Veblen can be said to, that the upper or leisure class is primarily an economic entity, or are there characteristics of this class that are as important as money, or perhaps more important? If so, what are they and how do they relate to the purely economic aspects of the leisure class and its development? 4. One of the most striking recurring elements of Veblen s description of the leisure class is his depiction of the role of women and servants. Describe and account for the change in the role of women in the upper class as they cease to be servants and property of men and become conspicuous consumers. How do servants fulfill roles similar to those of women in each step of the development of the leisure class? Although the first chapter clearly explains how the status of the head of a household is enhanced by his ability to treat women and servants as property, the effect of conspicuous consumption by women and servants on the status of the head of a household is less clear. Describe the process by which consumption by women and servants enhances the position of a household, especially in the middle class, where, according to Veblen, the wife is the ceremonial consumer of goods. 5. Describe the ways that dress, religious observances, gambling, and education have come to serve as markers of social position. To what extent is Veblen s description of them accurate? To what extent are these still effective markers of class? 6. In the last paragraph of chapter II, Veblen claims that, with regard to his use of the word invidious, there is no intention to extol or depreciate, or to commend or deplore any of the phenomena which the word is used to characterise, that the term is used in a technical sense. Is this a legitimate claim on his part? Does his use of terms such as invidious pecuniary comparison and waste and chattel really lack a pejorative connotation, as he claims, or is he making moral judgments? Do you believe that Veblen provides an objective account of the leisure class, or is there an implied moral content in his writing?