Riassunto
Trama e riassunto di La teoria della classe agiata
Go deeper: the whole of La teoria della classe agiata
About 6 h 30 min to read.A chi è rivolto
For readers curious about why people buy what they buy, and anyone who loves social criticism with a dry wit, exploring wealth, fashion and the pursuit of status.
Che cos’è questo libro
Why does a lawn that feeds nothing look like success? In 1899 the economist Thorstein Veblen asked questions like this about the rich. New fortunes from railroads, steel and finance were changing American life. Veblen, a professor at the University of Chicago, studied the wealthy the way an anthropologist studies a tribe. His claim is simple and hard to forget. Much of what we call taste, manners and success is a display of status. People show they are above work by wasting time, and they show they are rich by wasting goods. He gave us two lasting terms for it, conspicuous leisure and conspicuous consumption.
In questo riassunto
- 1The leisure class begins in barbarian cultureFree
- 2Wealth is valued for the rank it shows
- 3Idleness is a way to display status
- 4Spending on waste is the proof of wealth
- 5Dress and fashion show waste in plain view
- 6Taste and the pursuit of beauty follow price
- 7Old habits of mind hold back social progress
- 8Higher learning keeps the old values alive
- 9The book has been praised, attacked and kept alive
Punto chiave 1 di 9
The leisure class begins in barbarian culture
Veblen starts far from the shops of his own day. He says the leisure class grew out of an early stage he calls the predatory or barbarian culture. Warfare, hunting and priestly duties were seen as honorable. The steady work of producing food and goods was seen as lowly.
This split left a lasting idea. Work that makes things is shameful, and work that fights or rules is noble. Property first meant the spoils of conquest, and it served as proof of strength. Wealth became a trophy, and simply having it counted as honor.
The point for you is that status is an old habit of mind, not a recent invention. When you feel the pull of prestige, you feel something with a very long history.
That’s 1 of 9 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
- Nothing to pay today · Renews every year
- We email you before you pay
- Cancel online in two clicks
Go deeper: the whole of La teoria della classe agiata
About 6 h 30 min to read.About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 107,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 7 h 5 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 11 other languages
Questions about La teoria della classe agiata
What is The Theory of the Leisure Class about?
It argues that wealthy people gain status by showing they do not work and by spending on useless, costly things. Veblen then shows how the rest of society copies this behavior in clothes, taste, sport and education.
What does conspicuous consumption mean?
It means buying goods and services mainly to show your wealth and social rank, not to meet a real need. Veblen coined the phrase, and it is now standard in economics and sociology.
What is a Veblen good?
A Veblen good is a luxury item that people want more when its price rises, because the high price shows status. The term comes from Veblen's idea that costly goods prove wealth.
Is The Theory of the Leisure Class hard to read?
No. The main claim is simple to state: much of what we call taste is a display of status. Veblen also takes it in short, clear parts, from dress to schooling, and he narrates with a witty, ironic voice.
When was The Theory of the Leisure Class written?
It was published in 1899, during the American Gilded Age, when large new fortunes were being made. Veblen wrote it as a social critique of that wealthy business class and its habits.
Cite this edition
Veblen, Thorstein. The Theory of the Leisure Class. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-theory-of-the-leisure-class.
Veblen, T. (2026). The theory of the leisure class. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-theory-of-the-leisure-class (Original work published 1899)
Veblen, Thorstein. The Theory of the Leisure Class. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-theory-of-the-leisure-class.
@book{veblen2026theory,
author = {Veblen, Thorstein},
title = {The Theory of the Leisure Class},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-theory-of-the-leisure-class},
note = {First published 1899}
}