Society of the Spectacle

Possibly the most important book of the 20th century. Cool edition. I love guy debord

This is an attractively presented edition of Debord's excellent neo-Marxian critique of capitalism, including an interesting new introduction. Two elements of Debord's brief masterpiece stood out, to me at least, as particularly relevant in the contemporary context: (1) His warning (in 1968) that the rise of the service sector in the West and the shift of manufacturing to the East did not signal the emergence of a classless society, but rather the penetration of 'factory-like' working conditions into the new 'white collar' jobs being created and, ultimately, the intensification, rather than the resolution, of class antagonisms and exploitation. The global financial crisis (and specifically the implications of the various 'austerity measures' for 'ordinary' working people), along with the 'Occupy' protests ('the 99%' versus 'the 1%' etc) would seem to bear this argument out. (2) The idea of the spectacle as 'a social relation between people that is mediated by images' has never been more relevant than in the age of Facebook, iPads and 24-hour rolling news - from 9/11 to the 'Arab Spring', the twenty-first century has proven that the society of the spectacle is still very much alive today. A book well-worth reading.

Arrived promptly and well packaged by the seller.

This book genuinely changed my outlook. The concept of The Spectacle is never more relevant into today’s e-commerce, image-obsessed world, yet this French situationist intellectual spotted it, and set out a warning here. His work is Marxist (which might put many off right away) but he avoids paranoid conspiracy theory, seeing the Spectacle not imposed on us by the gilded elite, but as something we are all complicit in, something we have willingly accepted into our lives. The book says as much as our psychology as humans as it says about the western cultures we are born into. As one watches younger generations display their all-important images to the world, and many people are barely able to tear their eyes from a device, Msr. Debord’s warning reads as prescient, we can see the evidence for ourselves in our daily lives. Despite the greatness of the ideas within this book, and the value I gained from studying it, I give 4 stars rather than 5. This is becuase it is difficult to parse without very close reading and some knowledge of the subject matter before tackling it. It was easier for me to read than translations of Jacques Lacan’s lectures, because it is much briefer and divided into small chapters which at least encourage careful reflection and digestion before moving on. My summary cannot do the original justice but I offer a kernel which might help the reader unravel the text. Modern media bombard you with messages which suggest you are missing something. Do you hate your children? Then why not buy extra Christmas presents? Why aren’t you working for a larger house with a garden? Why don’t you have life insurance: what horrors would happen to your kids if you were to be accidentally killed? If you’re hungry, eat a burger. If you’re thirsty, drink coke. If you feel nauseous, you need pepto-bismol, if you’re not sleeping, you need this pill, if you’re exhausted by it all, buy a holiday. In all these cases, there is always a solution ready to be sold: these anxieties are driven by commerce. The combined effect of all these messages from adverts, news, films is to generate an image within us, of the ‘happy’ person we ought to be, the person who would be happy if he just had x, y and z. The problem of course is that none of the solutions sold to us do actually make us happier, so we are left chasing one solution after another, increasingly alienated by the whole charade. The Spectacle could be called the ‘market-sphere’ - everything out there which convinces us we are incomplete and need product x or lifestyle y. We are all part of it, seduced by the whispered false promises and the lure of modern-day snake-oils. Like Marx’s workers becoming alienated becuase they will never afford the cars they produce or houses they build, Debord’s consumers are alienated because they can never become the perfect humans presented endlessly in adverts, films and tv.

I first came across this text during my academic studies, loved it so much that I decided to buy it. Debord's analysis of an artificial society consistent of a complex array of tailored experiences for the individual is a remarkable insight to capitalism, and is really insightful for anyone studying social sciences. Really encourages critical thinking and provokes the questioning of life in general.

I love this book, I read it in the 80's but I was amazed how relevant to today it is.

All good thanks. Delivered really quickly!

A brilliant and seminal work that is too often overlooked at present. It is now more pertinent than ever!

I bought this for a gift for a history buff and he is really pleased with it. Already all read and keeps talking about it.

This edition features its most iconic cover; even though for new readers I would recommend Ken Knabb's translation, easier to read and including the original annotations.

You really need to read this.

This book is unique of its kind because of its subject. Author is knowledgeable and prolific writer famous for his intrigued thoughtfulness.

Great book nice cover design