Cheap Amusements

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Gender Studies, Women&
Cover of the book Cheap Amusements by Kathy Peiss, Temple University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Kathy Peiss ISBN: 9781439905531
Publisher: Temple University Press Publication: January 19, 2011
Imprint: Temple University Press Language: English
Author: Kathy Peiss
ISBN: 9781439905531
Publisher: Temple University Press
Publication: January 19, 2011
Imprint: Temple University Press
Language: English

What did young, independent women do for fun and how did they pay their way into New York City's turn-of-the-century pleasure places? Cheap Amusements is a fascinating discussion of young working women whose meager wages often fell short of bare subsistence and rarely allowed for entertainment expenses.

Kathy Peiss follows working women into saloons, dance halls, Coney Island amusement parks, social clubs, and nickelodeons to explore the culture of these young women between 1880 and 1920 as expressed in leisure activities. By examining the rituals and styles they adopted and placing that culture in the larger context of urban working-class life, she offers us a complex picture of the dynamics shaping a working woman's experience and consciousness at the turn-of-the-century. Not only does her analysis lead us to new insights into working-class culture, changing social relations between single men and women, and urban courtship, but it also gives us a fuller understanding of the cultural transformations that gave rise to the commercialization of leisure.

The early twentieth century witnessed the emergence of "heterosocial companionship" as a dominant ideology of gender, affirming mixed-sex patterns of social interaction, in contrast to the nineteenth century's segregated spheres. Cheap Amusements argues that a crucial part of the "reorientation of American culture" originated from below, specifically in the subculture of working women to be found in urban dance halls and amusement resorts.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

What did young, independent women do for fun and how did they pay their way into New York City's turn-of-the-century pleasure places? Cheap Amusements is a fascinating discussion of young working women whose meager wages often fell short of bare subsistence and rarely allowed for entertainment expenses.

Kathy Peiss follows working women into saloons, dance halls, Coney Island amusement parks, social clubs, and nickelodeons to explore the culture of these young women between 1880 and 1920 as expressed in leisure activities. By examining the rituals and styles they adopted and placing that culture in the larger context of urban working-class life, she offers us a complex picture of the dynamics shaping a working woman's experience and consciousness at the turn-of-the-century. Not only does her analysis lead us to new insights into working-class culture, changing social relations between single men and women, and urban courtship, but it also gives us a fuller understanding of the cultural transformations that gave rise to the commercialization of leisure.

The early twentieth century witnessed the emergence of "heterosocial companionship" as a dominant ideology of gender, affirming mixed-sex patterns of social interaction, in contrast to the nineteenth century's segregated spheres. Cheap Amusements argues that a crucial part of the "reorientation of American culture" originated from below, specifically in the subculture of working women to be found in urban dance halls and amusement resorts.

More books from Temple University Press

Cover of the book Damaged Goods? by Kathy Peiss
Cover of the book Material Law by Kathy Peiss
Cover of the book Dirty Details by Kathy Peiss
Cover of the book Essays on Twentieth-Century History by Kathy Peiss
Cover of the book Philadelphia by Kathy Peiss
Cover of the book Reverse Engineering Social Media by Kathy Peiss
Cover of the book Biz Mackey, a Giant behind the Plate by Kathy Peiss
Cover of the book Claiming the Oriental Gateway by Kathy Peiss
Cover of the book For Both Cross and Flag by Kathy Peiss
Cover of the book Expected Miracles by Kathy Peiss
Cover of the book Hmong Means Free by Kathy Peiss
Cover of the book DES Daughters, Embodied Knowledge, and the Transformation of Women's Health Politics in the Late Twentieth Century by Kathy Peiss
Cover of the book Animal Passions and Beastly Virtues by Kathy Peiss
Cover of the book Feminism and Affect at the Scene of Argument by Kathy Peiss
Cover of the book Musicians from a Different Shore by Kathy Peiss
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy