Class : a guide through the American status system

In Class Paul Fussell explodes the sacred American myth of social equality with eagle-eyed irreverence and iconoclastic wit. This bestselling, superbly researched, exquisitely observed guide to the signs, symbols, and customs of the American class system is always outrageously on the mark as Fussell shows us how our status is revealed by everything we do, say, and own. He describes the houses, objects, artifacts, speech, clothing styles, and intellectual proclivities of American classes from the top to the bottom and everybody -- you'll surely recognize yourself -- in between. Class is guaranteed to amuse and infuriate, whether your class is so high it's out of sight (literally) or you are, alas, a sinking victim of prole drift Paul Fussell Explodes The Sacred American Myth Of Social Equality ... Guide To The Signs, Symbols, And Customs Of The American Class System ... Fussell Shows Us How Our Status Is Revealed By Everything We Do, Say, And Own. He Describes The Houses, Objects, Artifacts, Speech, Clothing Styles, And Intellectural Proclivities Of American Classes From The Top To The Bottom--back Cover. A Touchy Subject -- An Anatomy Of The Classes -- Appearance Counts -- Consumption, Recreation, Bibelots -- The Life Of The Mind -- Speak, That I May See Thee -- Climbing And Sinking, And Prole Drift -- The X Way Out -- Exercises, And The Mail Bag. Paul Fussell ; With Illustrations By Martim De Avillez. A touchy subject -- An anatomy of the classes -- Appearance counts -- About the house -- Consumption, recreation, bibelots -- The life of the mind -- “Speak, that I may see thee” -- Climbing and sinking, and prole drift -- The X way out -- Appendix : exercise and the mail bag. Although most Americans sense that they live within an extremely complicated system of social classes and suspect that much of what is thought and done here is prompted by considerations of status, the subject has remained murky. This book describes the living-room artifacts, clothing styles, and intellectual proclivities of American classes from top to bottom