Choice Review

Auslander (Univ. of Chicago) has produced a fascinating study of the relationship among furniture, taste, and power structures in France from the reign of Louis XIV to the era of the "transition to mass society" in the 20th century. Each section deals with the "production of political meaning through furniture," with Auslander discussing how consumer goods, and their changing meanings, determine personal identity, class status, and economic relationships. Part 1 explores the dynamics and limits of absolutism as reflected in furniture, royal tastes, and production and distribution. Part 2 covers the transition from the absolutist regime to one increasingly dominated by the bourgeoisie, and part 3 explores the "bourgeois stylistic regime." Particularly fascinating is Auslander's analysis of the evolution of a feminine public sphere oriented around the woman as consumer, and her study of the cultural interaction between the politics of domestic space and social power. She concludes by noting the distancing of producer from consumer and asks readers to look critically at how they define themselves by what they own. This book is well written, thoroughly researched, and enlivened by insights the author gained while working as a cabinetmaker. Highly recommended. All levels. M. T. Scholz Grays Harbor College