In May 1906, the "Atlantic Monthly" commented that Americans live not merely in an age of things, but under the tyranny of them, and that in our relentless effort to sell, purchase, and accumulate things, we do not possess them as much as they possess us. For Bill Brown, the tale of that possession is something stranger than the history of a culture of consumption. It is the story of Americans using things to think about themselves. Brown's captivating new study explores the roots of modern America's fascination with things and the problem that objects posed for American literature at...
In May 1906, the "Atlantic Monthly" commented that Americans live not merely in an age of things, but under the tyranny of them, and that in our relen...