Overview
American consumers today regard sugar as a mundane and sometimes even troublesome substance linked to hyperactivity in children and other health concerns. Yet 200 years ago American consumers treasured sugar as a rare commodity and consumed it only in small amounts. In ""Refined Tastes"", Wendy A. Woloson demonstrates how the cultural role of sugar changed from being a precious luxury good to a ubiquitous necessity. Sugar became a social marker that established and reinforced class and gender differences. During the 18th and early 19th centuries, Woloson explains, the social elite saw expensive sugar and sweet confections as symbols of their wealth. As refined sugar became more affordable and accessible, new confections - children's candy, ice cream, and wedding cakes - made their way into American culture, acquiring a broad array of social meanings. Originally signifying male economic prowess, sugar eventually became associated with femininity and women's consumerism. Woloson's work offers a vivid account of this social transformation - along with the emergence of consumer culture in America.
Full Product Details
Author: Wendy A. Woloson (The Library Company of Philadelphia)
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
Imprint: Johns Hopkins University Press
Volume: 120
Dimensions:
Width: 15.20cm
, Height: 2.40cm
, Length: 22.90cm
Weight: 0.590kg
ISBN: 9780801868764
ISBN 10: 0801868769
Pages: 296
Publication Date: 28 June 2002
Recommended Age: From 17
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
,
Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
<p>A fascinating dissection of themes relating to the democratization of sugar and confectionery in American culture from about 1790 to 1910.--Laura Mason Gastronomica (01/01/0001)
<p> A unique exploration of the influences of sugar on the cultural and societal norms and mores of the 19th-century U.S.... Despite the inherent levity of the subject matter, Refined Tastes is a scholarly work with an extensive bibiography that will appeal to scholars of American history as well as those interested in family and consumer studies from a historical aspect. -- Choice
<p> Refined Tastes provides us with a better understanding of the ambivalent attitude we have today toward sweets and sweetness.--Bryan F. Le Beau Journal of American History (01/01/2004)
Author Information
Wendy A. Woloson is bibliographer for the program in Early American Economy and Society and acting curator of printed books at the Library Company of Philadelphia.
