Part XXVII – Beautiful Animals and Women

This is part of a series discussing The Theory of the Leisure Class, by Thorstein Veblen. His sixth chapter is titled Pecuniary Canons of Taste.

Last week we discussed beauty, expense and serviceability in cutlery, flowers, jewellery and lawns.  Veblen also addresses how the expensiveness or exclusivity of various items influence how beautiful we perceive them to be.

Take domestic animals, for example.  Barnyard animals such as fowl, pigs or goats are useful and so not particularly enviable as pets.  Instead, exotic birds, cats, dogs and fast horses are far more desirable, as they are (or were in Veblen’s time) items of conspicuous consumption.  Veblen does argue that the cat isn’t quite as reputable as the others as it can be useful (as a ratter) but also because

“…the cat’s temperament does not fit her for the honorific purpose. She lives with man on terms of equality, knows nothing of that relation of status which is the ancient basis of all distinctions of worth and repute, and she does not lend herself with facility to an invidious comparison between her owner and his neighbors.”

He allows the exception to this might be an Angora cat, on account of being expensive and therefore more beautiful.  No doubt today there are other breeds even more expensive and so more desirable, but please don’t try to convince me that those pathetic bald things are anything but a product of sick minds and genetic abuse.

Dogs are better as status symbols, being completely useless.  A dog’s ‘unquestioning servitude’ to his master strikes the right note. Veblen is likely not a fan of these creatures, however, saying that the dog is the ‘filthiest of the domestic animals in his person and the nastiest in his habits.’

“For this he makes up in a servile, fawning attitude towards his master, and a readiness to inflict damage and discomfort on all else. The dog, then, commends himself to our favor by affording play to our propensity for mastery, and as he is also an item of expense, and commonly serves no industrial purpose, he holds a well-assured place in men’s regard as a thing of good repute. The dog is at the same time associated in our imagination with the chase — a meritorious employment and an expression of the able predatory impulse. Standing on this vantage ground, whatever beauty of form and motion and whatever commendable mental traits he may possess are conventionally acknowledged and magnified. And even those varieties of the dog which have been bred into grotesque deformity by the dog-fancier are in good faith accounted beautiful by many. These varieties of dogs — and the like is true of other fancy bred animals — are rated and graded in aesthetic value somewhat in proportion to the degree of grotesqueness and instability of the particular fashion which the deformity takes in the given case.”

So nothing has changed then.  Any attention given the dog is useless and without gain as well, so that devotion to one’s dogs also fits with the canon of expensiveness.

Of course fast horses are expensive, wasteful and useless in productive terms.  Horse racing is aesthetically pleasing and therefore popular.  While horses are not servile in the way that dogs are, it is gratifying to the horse owner to have a horse that can beat the neighbour’s horse, much in the same way that larger gems or bigger houses are gratifying, in that they feed the owner’s sense of aggression and dominance.  Of course, race horses are unsuited by nature of their build and temperament to doing any productive work. 

I’m sure it will be a gross exaggeration, but I’ll make the claim anyhow that class-conscious folks here in Britain are keen to establish themselves as ‘horsy’ if they can at all stretch to the claim.  A women I’d just met one evening told me out of the blue that since retiring she’d gone back to riding horses, something she’d missed since her childhood.  She didn’t actually smirk when she said it, but something about the way she shifted in her chair made me think of the word ‘preen’.  Funny enough, Veblen says that

“In this country [the US], for instance, leisure-class tastes are to some extent shaped on usages and habits which prevail, or which are apprehended to prevail, among the leisure class of Great Britain. In dogs this is true to a less extent than in horses.”

Apparently, even if an English horse isn’t as beautiful as an American horse, the English one will be preferred as ‘reputably correct, if not aesthetically true’ and this applies to all things horseman-like, the clothes, the riding method, the tack, etc.

When we apply the canons of pecuniary taste to women, Veblen says

“It is more or less a rule that in communities which are at the stage of economic development at which women are valued by the upper class for their service, the ideal of female beauty is a robust, large-limbed woman. The ground of appreciation is the physique, while the conformation of the face is of secondary weight only.”

Certainly during the Victorian era, women were expected to bear a lot of children in order to have a male heir in a time of high infant mortality.  If that is what Veblen meant by ‘service’ then perhaps he is correct.  There was a time during the late 18th century when being very thin and pale was fashionable and the flimsy clothing styles seemed to help women to achieve the frail health required to be stylish; I'm not sure if Veblen's observation holds true during that period.

Older novels tell us that girls were keen to have a ‘nice nose’, 'soft hands' or ‘bright eyes’ but I couldn’t comment on whether it was in the past more important to have a pretty face or a good figure.  However, we do know that in poorer societies where food is dear, a woman with a plump figure has been considered more attractive than a skinny one.  The opposite is true (at least amongst women’s opinions) in developed societies where food is plentiful.  I won’t try to debate why so many of us wrestle to keep a healthy weight, only to say that whatever option is the more expensive, that is the one held in the highest esteem.

Other markers of wealth that have been considered beautiful are tiny feet, dangerously high heeled shoes, hobbling or tight skirts, extraordinarily long fingernails, painfully tight stays or corsets, ridiculous bustles, very long and full skirts, extremely tall hair dos and/or hats, fine and impractically fragile clothing.  All are markers and makers of women who are useless, non-productive show pieces for the purpose of enhancing the reputation of their men.  To have usable feet, a normal waistline, to wear trousers, etc., were considered vulgar, common and indecent in spite of the fact that many of these fashionable and expensive requirements involved a hideous distortion of the female form.

“But the requirements of pecuniary reputability and those of beauty in the naive sense do not in any appreciable degree coincide. The elimination from our surroundings of the pecuniarily unfit, therefore, results in a more or less thorough elimination of that considerable range of elements of beauty which do not happen to conform to the pecuniary requirement.”

So, I gather, is Veblen’s explanation for why some really ugly things are sometimes considered to be ‘beautiful’. 

Beaune

The largest city near to Meursault is Beaune, about 9 km (6 miles) away.  We cycled there one day to see the sights.  There were plenty things to see.

 

There were children's facilities in this city centre park.

 

No idea how old this building is, but isn't it grand?

 

Lots of little side streets seemed designed just to highlight another wonderful building.

Just in case any Brits got homesick...

 

 

 

I think Dali and his work are strange. But no stranger, perhaps, than coming upon someone who keeps odd objects on display in their courtyard.

   

   

I think I've seen something similar outside a residential care home in Whitley Bay, come to think of it.  This French one is more...artistic.

   

   

Bill and I were both enchanted by this tiny bit of 'park' at the intersection of three small roads.  

 

Behind it was an old, building.  We both found it beautiful, strange as that sounds.  I couldn't help but wonder what stories it could tell.  

There is no doubt a great deal more of Beaune to see, but we spent most of our day seeing what is probably their leading attraction.  Three guesses what the next post will be about?

Born to Dye

Actually, I got that title wrong, but it's the one that has stuck in my brain.  

A while back at the Thursday crafts group we had a guest speaker; not the usual format at all.  



However, our fearless leader has a passion for wool:  spinning, knitting, felting, carding. If you can do it with wool, she does it.   



The correct name for this company is Natural Born Dyers.  

Carding wool with these enormous things was a man's job;
 it will have built muscle, I'm sure.

Our poor speaker was absolutely full of cold so I'm not sure how he got through it all, except that he was really interested in his subject.  



He has some sort of university science background, if I remember correctly, but has got involved in using plants for dying wools, something his partner is also involved with.  

I think this was the angora...heaven!

His lecture included a bit of everything including breeds of Northumberland sheep, ancient carding methods and a few of the dyes he's been experimenting with.





On the table were spread 'bats' of dyed wool ready for spinning or whatever else fate had in store for them. 



 There were delicious colours there, but as I had no idea what to do with it, I just looked briefly before heading over for tea and a biscuit (cookie).  




Little did I know I was going to take one home, having won a drawing I'd not heard of.

I think Lucy made some like these for her nephew-to-be.

We were given baskets of various raw sheep wools to finger, also some angora (easily the nicest).  

Felted house shoes - all the rage in this group.

There were also sticks for spinning on offer, possibly also called 'spurtzleur' but I don't remember what they called them.  



The lady with the speaker was demonstrating and of course she made it look dead simple.  

Gloves and a shawl, I think.

A couple of tries later I knew better.  The thing that really got me about them was that they were labelled with the type of wood they were made from:  yew, acacia, beech, walnut, cedar. 



 It made me think of the wizards' wands in Harry Potter and I wondered if they came with dragon heart strings or phoenix feathers.  I know, that makes me completely Potty.

Part XXVI - Perception of Beauty

This is part of a series discussing The Theory of the Leisure Class, by Thorstein Veblen. His sixth chapter is titled Pecuniary Canons of Taste.

Veblen provides more examples of how the ‘canons of reputability’ affect our perceptions.  We are influenced in what we perceive as beautiful or serviceable as well, that is to say we prefer articles which are conspicuously wasteful.  He uses a hand-wrought silver spoon as being preferred to a
machine-made spoon of base metal.  If the first spoon were discovered to be a clever imitation and in fact only made of base metal, it would no longer be appreciated, even though its function and appearance were unchanged.  We’re not conscious of this preference, but we are shaped by the canon of conspicuous waste nonetheless.

As lovely as gems are, they are desireable because they are rare and expensive, not because they are beautiful.  They give advantage to the owner because not everyone can afford them.

“The marks of expensiveness come to be accepted as beautiful features of the expensive articles.”

This is best exemplified in clothing and household decor.  There are fashions for each that change over time.  At the present, there is not as much of a strict silhouette for women’s clothing as there has been in the past and so there is more leeway in choosing styles.  However, there are still styles that are not sufficiently modern to be admired.  I expect the same might be said of home décor, though I am even less informed on that subject.  Vintage looks are popular with some folks just now, but I haven’t run across anyone seeking to replace the harvest gold or olive green appliances that Mom and Grandmother liked.  To have things outside of whatever is the accepted range of fashion, brings a certain amount of embarrassment.

“We readily and with utter sincerity, find those things pleasing that are in vogue. Shaggy dress stuffs and pronounced color effects, for instance, offend us at times when the vogue is goods of a high, glossy finish and neutral colors. A fancy bonnet of this year’s model unquestionably appeals to our sensibilities today much more forcibly than an equally fancy bonnet of the model of last year…The high gloss of a gentleman’s hat or of a patent-leather shoe has no more of intrinsic beauty than a similiarly high gloss on a threadbare sleeve; and yet there is no question but that all well-bred people (in the Occidental civilized communities) instinctively and unaffectedly cleave to the one as a phenomenon of great beauty, and eschew the other as offensive to every sense to which it can appeal.”

Veblen says that perfectly lovely flowers are dismissed as weeds because they are too easily accessible.  More difficult blooms which cost more and are therefore only afforded by persons of means are considered more beautiful, simply because they are more expensive.

“It is not a constitutional difference of endowments in the aesthetic respect, but rather a difference in the code of reputability which specifies what objects properly lie within the scope of honorific consumption for the class to which the critic belongs.  It is a difference in the traditions of propriety with respect to the kinds of things which may, without derogation to the consumer, be consumed under the head of objects of taste and art. With a certain allowance for variations to be accounted for on other grounds, these traditions are determined, more or less rigidly, by the pecuniary plane of life of the class.”

Another example is the Western society’s preference for a grass lawn or park, something that really only makes sense in wet places like Britain.  If I follow his logic correctly, this is most highly prized if maintained by a crew of skilled workmen under the supervision of a lead grounds keeper.  The next best choice is to have it grazed by deer or perhaps antelope.  Cows could achieve the same end of short grass, but are so practical and thrifty that they have no status; Veblen obviously wasn’t from Texas.  He doesn't mention sheep at all but I'm thinking that in a tiny place like Britain to own sufficient land to have anything graze gives sufficient prestige. 

He writes at length about preferences in green space amongst what I would abbreviate as ‘old money’ vs ‘new money’.  He seems to think that amongst the growing middle class there is still the vestige of workmanship (defined as being useful).  So ‘sham’ features suggesting serviceability are popular, ie rustic fences, bridges, bowers and pavilions; also topiary and conventional flower beds in public grounds.  However, ‘love of nature’ and planting of trees are more indicative of ‘old money’.  I’m not sure how applicable all this is, but will leave you with two words that probably best capture the essence of his arguments about gardens, class and taste here in Britain:  garden gnomes.

Meursault Village

Bill knows more about wine than I do.  He couldn't believe I didn't know that Meursault was famous for its wine, particularly its white wine.  Which, given that the region we were in was called Burgundy, confused me no end; I think of that as red wine.   I did see and recognise a reference to Meursault wine in 1939: The Last Season, which was fun. However, I doubt I'll ever know much on the subject except what I like or don't like.




Another thing I didn't know was what to call these amazing roofs.

 

Meursault town hall

 
This is called Gothic architecture with Flemish roof tiles.  They were spectacular.
 

This is the Hospices de Beaune, more of which later

 
The walk from the campsite into the village was quite pleasant.  I've already shown you many of the grand houses.

A chevreuil is a 'roe-deer', just as pictured

Notice the lovely tromp l'oeil?

I've no doubt wine is the major industry in the area, but I had the feeling that tourism might be a close second.  

Meursault looked a very pleasant place to live.  

Every French person we met - young,old or in-between- was very polite and cordial.  It was a great place to be ending up our holiday...but we're not quite done!

What I Made

I didn't photograph everything I made, not by a long shot.

  

In the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas I sewed four or five days a week, 8-9 hours on most days.  

I'm very slow and I wanted to do my very best. None were perfect (I don't do perfect, and doubt I ever will), but each was made with a lot of love.

The insides are also patchwork - white and cream.

 
I found myself thinking about the person I was sewing for practically the whole time I was making their bag. I'm certain this was at least half the pleasure for me in making these things.


I made them for several people in the US, including Jack, who was married to my Aunt Rita.

These were the most masculine colours/prints I could find!

After all, a lot of my sewing supplies are due to his letting me have her stash.   I'm grateful for that practically every time I pick up a project.


I also made one for each of Bill's children using green fabrics from their Grandma Ella's home.  She had a pale grey-green that was her 'signature' colour.  I also made a green bag for my dear friend, Vivien for her birthday (including some more of the curtain fabric she gave me!)  

The lining of the one for my Uncle Pat has a large piece of cream coloured brocade that used to cover the love seats I have that belonged to his mother / my Grandmother.  



I appreciate it's a bit mental to keep the old fabric when you have furniture reupholstered, not to mention keep it for over 20 years, but I've always said there is no coincidence that Bill used to be a psychiatric nurse.

Another thing I made, but didn't photograph was small sets of raspberry vodka, blackberry whisky and sloe gin. The sloes and blackberries Bill and I picked; I bought the raspberries.   The labels were computer printed and cut in a circle using one of my Grandma and Grandpa's green depression glass jiggers.  Vivien and Lucy each got these, as well as each of Bill's kids.  I only managed to bake my usual spice cakes for them this year:  I ran out of steam.

As part of the craft group, I made this small Christmas wreath for our front door and was very pleased with myself.  



I was given the hessian and loaned a picture frame to staple it to.  I was also given this amazing green wool that I felted to use.  It shed grey-green dust everywhere I worked with it, but it gave a very ever-green-y outcome, I thought.  It is a northern England version of latch-hook rugs, but they call it proggy matting or proddy-matting and most working class homes had these on the floors in previous generations.  I wasn't that excited about this project until it came time to decorate.

I used gold and red buttons and gold braid, all from Rita's sewing stash. Since it covered a window (hence the reflection of my camera lens!), I had to cover the back.  Lucy had given me some red fleece for this project that worked perfectly.  The total cost for this wreath was £3.50 for the battery-operated set of LED lights. I love making 'something from nothing'!

I was so pleased with these photos, I made a quick Christmas greeting that I emailed around to a lot of people we didn't send paper cards.  

Have you made anything lately?

Part XXV - Devotional Fitness

This is part of a series discussing The Theory of the Leisure Class,  by Thorstein Veblen.  His sixth chapter is titled Pecuniary Canons of Taste.

In my last post, I told you that Veblen believed that society's views about an appropriate and desirable standard of living  were not just about money, but influenced attitudes in all manner of ways, including

'...the sense of duty, the sense of beauty, the sense of utility, the sense of devotional or ritualistic fitness, and the scientific sense of truth’.  

You may recall that employment by the church was amongst the acceptable occupations for the leisure class and he discusses this more fully in a later chapter.  In chapter six he addresses a slightly different aspect of religious practises.  

The consumption of sacred edifices, vestments and similar, are in large part illustrative of the canon of conspicuous waste.  The splendour of a house of worship has an uplifting effect on the worshipper’s frame of mind.  In contrast, Veblen points out the embarrassment people feel about any shabbiness or squalor of a place of worship.  Even in poorer neighbourhoods, he holds, the house of worship is more ornate in architecture and ornamentation than the homes of the congregation.  He says this is true in nearly all denominations and cults, but particularly in the older religions.   However little if any of the splendour is provided for the sake of improving the comfort of the congregation and everyone seems to feel this austerity is proper.

"Devout consumption is of the nature of vicarious consumption.  This canon of devout austerity is based on the pecuniary reputatbility of conspicuously wasteful consumption, backed by the principle that vicarious consumption should conspicuously not conduce to the comfort of the vicarious consumer."

This strange paragraph goes back to the idea that the wives and servants of the master are well-dressed and appear to have leisure, but they are dressed to reflect well upon their master and their leisure is in fact hanging about waiting until they can serve him.  

"...the end of vicarious consumption is to enhance, not the fullness of life of the consumer, but the pecuniary repute of the master for whose behoof the consumption takes place."

Here he draws conclusions about the expectations placed on the objects and places involved in devout observances, also the way in which church officiators dress.  I think we all are generally aware that there are great differences in the highly decorative decor of some Catholic churches and the painfully austere interiors of some Protestant churches. My own experience is limited to those faiths, so I can't comment on synagogues, mosques or other places of worship.   My reading of English social history informs me about some of the doctrinal background of the Christian religion and how it might influence church decor, but Veblen comes up with another rationale.

He says that in ceremonies where the deity (he supposedly speaks about all religions and cults) is presumed to be present, the religious artifacts and priestly vestments will be richly ornamental, but where the religious official takes more of the role of a consort, these will be very much plainer.  I wasn't sure how to follow this logic.  After discussing it with Bill I looked up the term 'transubstantiation'. Apparently this term explains the (or a) difference between Catholic Eucharist and Protestant Communion.  I love social history, but theological debate bores me rigid, so I doubt I'll ever really take it all on board.  It apparently comes down to whether one thinks one is truly eating the body and blood of Christ or if it is only a representation.  I've yet to visit a Church of England, but after looking at interiors on the internet, I guessed correctly that they reject the idea of transubstantiation. 

Veblen says that priestly demeanor at its best is aloof, leisurely, perfunctory and without any suggestion of sensual pleasure.  Aloof, because of the seriousness of their function.  Leisurely, to fullfil the requirement of vicarious leisure; we generally prefer our religious leaders to have only this one role, not to be a car salesman or an accountant on the side.   Veblen also says it is human nature to imagine the characteristics of the deity and to make these the characteristics of the ideal man, also those of the religious official.  So, according to Veblen, the deity, the priest and the ideal man all share the characteristics of being serene and leisurely.  He doesn't address the issue of sensual pleasure any further...

Veblen says all rituals tend to become perfunctory, particularly in the 'maturer cults' and this is fitting because it acknowledges that the deity actually has no need of truly proficuous (useful) service from his servants.  They are 'unprofitable' servants and it does honour to the deity for them to be unprofitable.  In this, Veblen draws an analogy between the office of the priest / minister and that of footmen, for they are both demonstrators of vicarious leisure.

Thus does Veblen put forth his argument that the pecuniary canons of taste influence about religious devotions.