Schönizer's Century: The Formation of Middle-Class Culture. 1815-1914

Author: (USA) Guy
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: To be precise, the bourgeoisie (middle class) depicted in this book is not the "Western" bourgeoisie, but the bourgeoisie of Britain, France, Germany, and the United States. Peter Gay wants readers to notice the diverse differences within the 19th-century bourgeoisie. The guide leading this European and American cultural journey is not the British Queen Victoria, as we usually mention, but a charismatic figure in Vienna named Schnitzler, who was once a doctor but had a gift for literature and ultimately became a playwright, immortalized in German literary history. In terms of family issues, attitudes toward sexuality, inner anxieties, feminist issues, work attitudes, and artistic tastes, Schnitzler's personal experiences are quite representative and serve as an entry point into the bourgeoisie culture. For readers who want to understand the social and cultural history of Western society in the 19th and early 20th centuries, this book is an excellent choice.