The Fall of Public Man

Note: I only read one-third of this title. The author analyzes the multiple factors determining how humans function in public and private (i.e., family) environments. He uses as his laboratory Paris and London from the mid-17th to the mid-18th century, as both cities exploded in population. How

Show More

individuals dealt with all these new strangers created the impetus to develop communication skills (verbal, dress, clothing) appropriate to either public or private experiences. Private, in Sennett's usage, denotes a natural law (which evolved into a human right). It is certainly a worthwhile topic--in this age of privatization--but Sennett's writing style is so dense and impenetrable that frequently one will need to read the same sentence over three of four times to coax the meaning out. It's a style that flourishes in theoretical sociology (i.e., Adorno and Habermas), but since I am no longer a graduate student, I gave it a good college try and then said "Enough."

Show Less