History

How Old Are You? Age Consciousness in American Culture

Paperback

Price:
$55.00/拢45.00
ISBN:
Published:
Feb 16, 1992
1989
Pages:
242
Size:
6 x 9 in.

Most Americans take it for granted that a thirteen-year-old in the fifth grade is 鈥渂ehind schedule,鈥 that 鈥渢eenagers who marry 鈥渢oo early鈥 are in for trouble, and that a seventy-five-year-old will be pleased at being told, 鈥淵ou look young for your age.鈥 Did an awareness of age always dominate American life? Howard Chudacoff reveals that our intense age consciousness has developed only gradually since the late nineteenth century. In so doing, he explores a wide range of topics, including demographic change, the development of pediatrics and psychological testing, and popular music from the early 1800s until now. 鈥淭hroughout our lifetimes American society has been age-conscious. But this has not always been the case. Until the mid-nineteenth century, Americans showed little concern with age. The one-room schoolhouse was filled with students of varied ages, and children worked alongside adults…. [This is] a lively picture of the development of age consciousness in urban middle-class culture.鈥 —Robert H. Binstock, The New York Times Book Review 鈥淎 fresh perspective on a century of social and cultural development.鈥—Michael R. Dahlin, American Historical Review