At the Mercy of Their Clothes

Modernism, the Middlebrow, and British Garment Culture

Nonfiction, History, Reference, Historiography, Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, British
Cover of the book At the Mercy of Their Clothes by Celia Marshik, Columbia University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Celia Marshik ISBN: 9780231542968
Publisher: Columbia University Press Publication: November 29, 2016
Imprint: Columbia University Press Language: English
Author: Celia Marshik
ISBN: 9780231542968
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Publication: November 29, 2016
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Language: English

In much of modern fiction, it is the clothes that make the character. Garments embody personal and national histories. They convey wealth, status, aspiration, and morality (or a lack thereof). They suggest where characters have been and where they might be headed, as well as whether or not they are aware of their fate. At the Mercy of Their Clothes explores the agency of fashion in modern literature, its reflection of new relations between people and things, and its embodiment of a rapidly changing society confronted by war and cultural and economic upheaval. In some cases, people need garments to realize themselves. In other cases, the clothes control the person who wears them.

Celia Marshik's study combines close readings of modernist and middlebrow works, a history of Britain in the early twentieth century, and the insights of thing theory. She focuses on four distinct categories of modern clothing: the evening gown, the mackintosh, the fancy dress costume, and secondhand attire. In their use of these clothes, we see authors negotiate shifting gender roles, weigh the value of individuality during national conflict, work through mortality, and depict changing class structures. Marshik's dynamic comparisons put Ulysses in conversation with Rebecca, Punch cartoons, articles in Vogue, and letters from consumers, illuminating opinions about specific garments and a widespread anxiety that people were no more than what they wore. Throughout her readings, Marshik emphasizes the persistent animation of clothing—and objectification of individuals—in early-twentieth-century literature and society. She argues that while artists and intellectuals celebrated the ability of modern individuals to remake themselves, a range of literary works and popular publications points to a lingering anxiety about how political, social, and economic conditions continued to constrain the individual.

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

In much of modern fiction, it is the clothes that make the character. Garments embody personal and national histories. They convey wealth, status, aspiration, and morality (or a lack thereof). They suggest where characters have been and where they might be headed, as well as whether or not they are aware of their fate. At the Mercy of Their Clothes explores the agency of fashion in modern literature, its reflection of new relations between people and things, and its embodiment of a rapidly changing society confronted by war and cultural and economic upheaval. In some cases, people need garments to realize themselves. In other cases, the clothes control the person who wears them.

Celia Marshik's study combines close readings of modernist and middlebrow works, a history of Britain in the early twentieth century, and the insights of thing theory. She focuses on four distinct categories of modern clothing: the evening gown, the mackintosh, the fancy dress costume, and secondhand attire. In their use of these clothes, we see authors negotiate shifting gender roles, weigh the value of individuality during national conflict, work through mortality, and depict changing class structures. Marshik's dynamic comparisons put Ulysses in conversation with Rebecca, Punch cartoons, articles in Vogue, and letters from consumers, illuminating opinions about specific garments and a widespread anxiety that people were no more than what they wore. Throughout her readings, Marshik emphasizes the persistent animation of clothing—and objectification of individuals—in early-twentieth-century literature and society. She argues that while artists and intellectuals celebrated the ability of modern individuals to remake themselves, a range of literary works and popular publications points to a lingering anxiety about how political, social, and economic conditions continued to constrain the individual.

More books from Columbia University Press

Cover of the book Triumph of Order by Celia Marshik
Cover of the book Promised Bodies by Celia Marshik
Cover of the book The Resurrected Skeleton by Celia Marshik
Cover of the book Species Concepts and Phylogenetic Theory by Celia Marshik
Cover of the book The Right to Know by Celia Marshik
Cover of the book A Materialism for the Masses by Celia Marshik
Cover of the book Trees Without Wind by Celia Marshik
Cover of the book Autobiography of an Archive by Celia Marshik
Cover of the book Describing Species by Celia Marshik
Cover of the book The Credential Society by Celia Marshik
Cover of the book Live All You Can by Celia Marshik
Cover of the book Hollywood and Hitler, 1933-1939 by Celia Marshik
Cover of the book When the Invasion of Land Failed by Celia Marshik
Cover of the book The Most Important Thing by Celia Marshik
Cover of the book Protection Amid Chaos by Celia Marshik
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