UniformsUniforms
Why We Are What We Wear
Title rated 3.4 out of 5 stars, based on 6 ratings(6 ratings)
Book, 2002
Current format, Book, 2002, , Available .Book, 2002
Current format, Book, 2002, , Available . Offered in 0 more formatsPresents a series of anecdotes that tell the history and meaning of American uniforms, identifying their cultural significance in term of how uniforms unite and divide people as well as how they vary throughout the world.
Presents a series of anecdotes that tell the history and meaning of American uniforms, identifying their cultural significance in terms of how uniforms unite and divide people as well as how they vary throughout the world.
Fussell (a frequent author, he taught literature at the U. of Pennsylvania) admits to having a thing for uniforms. He focuses much of the book on the uniforms worn in earlier days, especially WWII, with attention to the proclivities of different nations, including Germany, Italy, and Japan. Surprisingly, there are no photos, nor is there an index. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
From Boy Scouts to soldiers, nurses to UPS workers, chefs to nuns, Paul Fussell describes, in sharp and telling anecdotes, the history and meanings of various uniforms. He reveals their secret language and unfolds their cultural significance. Focusing on the American scene, he holds up a mirror to the folks who head off to work each morning in regulated clothing and charts the fault lines of the desire for conformity and individuality. In examining the way uniforms unite and divide us, he ranges over the globe, describing, among other things, the Russian love of shoulder boards, the German obsession with black, and the Italian enthusiasm for feathered military hats. According to Fussell, we are what we wear, and sometimes our get-ups say surprising things.
Uniforms is vintage Fussell a blend of vinegar and grace, of keen cultural insight and hilarious wit, equal parts spoof and illuminating social analysis.
Presents a series of anecdotes that tell the history and meaning of American uniforms, identifying their cultural significance in terms of how uniforms unite and divide people as well as how they vary throughout the world.
Fussell (a frequent author, he taught literature at the U. of Pennsylvania) admits to having a thing for uniforms. He focuses much of the book on the uniforms worn in earlier days, especially WWII, with attention to the proclivities of different nations, including Germany, Italy, and Japan. Surprisingly, there are no photos, nor is there an index. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
From Boy Scouts to soldiers, nurses to UPS workers, chefs to nuns, Paul Fussell describes, in sharp and telling anecdotes, the history and meanings of various uniforms. He reveals their secret language and unfolds their cultural significance. Focusing on the American scene, he holds up a mirror to the folks who head off to work each morning in regulated clothing and charts the fault lines of the desire for conformity and individuality. In examining the way uniforms unite and divide us, he ranges over the globe, describing, among other things, the Russian love of shoulder boards, the German obsession with black, and the Italian enthusiasm for feathered military hats. According to Fussell, we are what we wear, and sometimes our get-ups say surprising things.
Uniforms is vintage Fussell a blend of vinegar and grace, of keen cultural insight and hilarious wit, equal parts spoof and illuminating social analysis.
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- Boston, MA : Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002.
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