Synopses & Reviews
From Boy Scouts to soldiers, nurses to UPS workers, chefs to nuns, Paul Fussell describes, in sharp and telling anecdotes, the history and meanings of various uniforms. He reveals their secret language and unfolds their cultural significance. Focusing on the American scene, he holds up a mirror to the folks who head off to work each morning in regulated clothing and charts the fault lines of the desire for conformity and individuality.
In examining the way uniforms unite and divide us, he ranges over the globe, describing, among other things, the Russian love of shoulder boards, the German obsession with black, and the Italian enthusiasm for feathered military hats.
According to Fussell, we are what we wear, and sometimes our get-ups say surprising things. Uniforms is vintage Fussell a blend of vinegar and grace, of keen cultural insight and hilarious wit, equal parts spoof and illuminating social analysis.
Review
"Full of pugnacious observations and intellectual insights...Paul Fussell is back, and he's feisty as ever." Rebecca Denton, Bookpage
Review
"Fussell's funny, touching insights spring from an unmistakable compassion for people's need to feel 'the comfort and vanity of belonging.'" Publishers Weekly
Review
"I love a man in uniform!...Fussell embroiders on why we are what we wear." Elissa Schappell, Vanity Fair
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"Very smart, very funny..." Malcolm Jones, Newsweek
Review
"Perfect holiday gift for anyone who wears clothes and one size fits all." James A Butler, The Philadelphia Inquirer
Synopsis
According to the renowned social critic and historian Paul Fussell, we are what we wear, and it doesn't look good. Uniforms parses the hidden meanings of our apparel -- from brass buttons to blue jeans, badges to feather flourishes -- revealing what our clothing says about class, sex, and our desire to belong. With keen insight and considerable curmudgeonly flair, Fussell unfolds the history and cultural significance of all manner of attire, fondly analyzing the roles that uniforms play in a number of communities -- the military, the church, health care, food service, sports -- even everyday civilian life. Uniforms is vintage Fussell: "revelatory, ribald, and irresistible" (Shirley Hazzard).
About the Author
Paul Fussell is the author of, among other works, Class and The Great War and Modern Memory, which won both the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award and was named by the Modern Library as one of the twentieth century's one hundred best nonfiction books. He lives in Philadelphia.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments ix
A Thing About Uniforms 1
Colorful Tights for Men? 8
Sturdy Shoulders and Trim Fit 11
Russian Uniform Culture 16
The GermanWay 19
Are Italian Men More Vain than Others? 28
Admiral Zumwalts Big Mistake 30
Brass Buttons 35
Generals Dress 38
Blue Jeans 48
The Rise and Fall of the Brown Jobs 53
Uniforms of the Faithful 65
Deliverers 80
Transportationists 85
Police and Their Impersonators 93
Why Arent Grave Violations of Taste Impeachable
Offenses, Too? 97
Youth on the Musical March 100
Doorpersons, etc. 105
The Pitiable Mis?ts of the Klan 110
Uniforms of the Sporting Life 113
Stigmatic Uniforms 121
Weirdos 126
Ernest Hemingway, Semi-Weirdo 132
Uniformity in American Higher Learning 136
Japan as a Uniform Culture 140
Academic Full Dress 142
Pretties 146
Chefs in Their Whites 153
The Nurses Revolt 156
Little Sailor Suits, and an Addendum on Sloppery 159
Uniforming the Scouts and Others 162
Womens Nuptial Uniform 167
Broad-Brimmed Hats 170
Civilian Uniformities 174
Keepsakes 183
Notes Toward the Readers Own Theory of Uniforms 186