The Salon; marginal and subversive...continued

Quote #5

...gave way to a more anonymous style of sociability, oriented towards spectacles and celebrities and centred not only on salons but on le Boulevard, where shopping, the cafe, and the activities of a whole constellation of new and exclusive social clubs accommodated a larger more heterogeneous society. pg 189

Questions #5

• What is the place of the generalist in today's world?
• Is shopping the great leveler leading us to a non-
hierarchical world of consumption?
• What is the relationship between the spectacle and anonymity?
What would you call a spectacle in your world?

Quote #6

...the decadence of conversation could be blamed on crinnoline , which "invaded [women's ] moral life, debased their character by destroying their influence , reduces their field of action, and narrowed the terrain of their ambition. " pg. 209

Questions #6

• Do we live in a world where lots of brainy women have a strong
public presence in their own right?
• Is fashion a place where differences come together to create
a new civil world order?
• what does the obsession with physical beauty
and decoration do to the female brain?
and what is it doing to the male brain?
And what does it do to their interactions?

The Salon; marginal and subversive...continued

Quote #3

As the values of the market place progressively took precedence over the dictates of social and cultural discrimination, salonnieres imperceptibly lost the ability to select guests according to talent , intelligence or L'esprit. The triumph of the star system made it harder and harder to tell the difference between innate ability, earned reputation and the kind of glory [ celebrity] conferred by public success... Pg 163

Questions #3

• Why do celebrity opinions outside their own field merit attention?
• Is this quote relevant to a description or discussion of contemporary mass media?
• Can you find a relationship between the sentiments in this quotation and the society in which you live?
• Did you see the interview with Britney Spears about how she voted?

Quote #4

Madame de Stael had set the tone for a mondain critique of "the party system" in the 1790's by noting that partisanship united people around common hatreds rather than feelings of friendship and mutual esteem. The morality of mondain relations, she argued, suffered when those with "the same political religion" excused the vices of their allies and ignored the positive qualities of their foes... Pg 167

Questions #4

• what is the vehicle in our culture, or global culture, which facilitates the coming together of people with different political "religions" or different artistic "religions" or different religions to, discuss differences civilly and create a larger world?
• Is there a difference between tolerance and acceptance?