Status Anxiety by Alain De Botton, Paperback, 9780375725357 | Buy online at The Nile
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Status Anxiety

Author: Alain De Botton   Series: Vintage International

Paperback

The bestselling author of "The Consolation of Philosophy" addresses an almost universal anxiety that rarely gets mentioned directly: what others think of us. With the help of philosophers, artists and writers, de Botton examines the origins of status anxiety and reveals ingenious ways of overcoming it.

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PRODUCT INFORMATION

Summary

The bestselling author of "The Consolation of Philosophy" addresses an almost universal anxiety that rarely gets mentioned directly: what others think of us. With the help of philosophers, artists and writers, de Botton examines the origins of status anxiety and reveals ingenious ways of overcoming it.

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Description

“There's no writer alive like de Botton” (Chicago Tribune), and now this internationally heralded author turns his attention to the insatiable human quest for status—a quest that has less to do with material comfort than love.

Anyone who’s ever lost sleep over an unreturned phone call or the neighbor’s Lexus had better read Alain de Botton’s irresistibly clear-headed new book, immediately. For in its pages, a master explicator of our civilization and its discontents explores the notion that our pursuit of status is actually a pursuit of love, ranging through Western history and thought from St. Augustine to Andrew Carnegie and Machiavelli to Anthony Robbins.

Whether it’s assessing the class-consciousness of Christianity or the convulsions of consumer capitalism, dueling or home-furnishing, Status Anxiety is infallibly entertaining. And when it examines the virtues of informed misanthropy, art appreciation, or walking a lobster on a leash, it is not only wise but helpful.

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Critic Reviews

“"His richest, funniest, most heartfelt work yet, packed with erudition and brimming with an elegant originality of mind. . . . An informative joy to read."-The Seattle Times "A smart and amusing inquiry. . . . Thick with social history and as funny as [it is] acute."- The Boston Globe "A typically de Bottonesque romp. . . . Full of great. . . literary and philosophical references."-The Christian Science Monitor "His insights float on a kind light irony. . . like pixilated Barthes. . . . The pleasures of his prose come from following the play of his mind, the vast erudition, the succinct paraphrases, and vivid, often lyrical physical descriptions."- Boston Phoenix From the Trade Paperback edition.”

“His richest, funniest, most heartfelt work yet, packed with erudition and brimming with an elegant originality of mind. . . . An informative joy to read.” —The Seattle Times

“A smart and amusing inquiry. . . . Thick with social history and as funny as [it is] acute.” —The Boston Globe


“A typically de Bottonesque romp. . . . Full of great. . . literary and philosophical references.” —The Christian Science Monitor

“His insights float on a kind light irony. . . like pixilated Barthes. . . . The pleasures of his prose come from following the play of his mind, the vast erudition, the succinct paraphrases, and vivid, often lyrical physical descriptions.” —Boston Phoenix

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About the Author

ALAIN DE BOTTON is the author of three previous works of fiction and three of nonfiction, including The Art of Travel, The Consolations of Philosophy, and How Proust Can Change Your Life (all available in paperback from Vintage Books). He lives in London.

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Product Details

Publisher
Random House USA Inc | Random House Inc
Published
10th May 2005
Pages
320
ISBN
9780375725357

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