Dreiser and Veblen, Saboteurs of the Status Quo

Know about the book -

Dreiser and Veblen, Saboteurs of the Status Quo is written by Clare Virginia Eby and published by University of Missouri Press. It's available with International Standard Book Number or ISBN identification 0826260381 (ISBN 10) and 9780826260383 (ISBN 13).

The works of Dreiser and Veblen make up a neglected chapter in the history of United States cultural criticism. Their central subjects (such as the myriad effects of consumer capitalism and the invidious status system) still preoccupy cultural critics, and with good reason. Veblen and Dreiser also pioneered strategies for positioning themselves as confrontational intellectuals (such as by attacking foundationalism and claims of epistemological certainty) that continue to inform the practice of many cultural critics. Thus, in both subject matter and rhetorical strategy, Dreiser’s and Veblen’s writings provide prototypes for the work that many United States scholars want to do now, work which often turns to European or postmodern theory for inspiration. In making this claim about the usefulness of Dreiser and Veblen for current intellectual work, my argument parallels recent rehabilitations of American thinkers.