Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- I WAITING FOR THE CONSUMER SOCIETY
- II ECONOMIES OF CONSUMPTION (1)
- III SMALL SHOPS
- IV BIG STORES
- V ECONOMIES OF CONSUMPTION (2)
- VI REFLECTIONS ON THE CONSUMER SOCIETY
- 13 Post-war Visions of Paradise: The Dawning of the Consumer Society
- 14 Managing the Consumers (1): Motivational Analysts
- 15 Managing the Consumers (2): Advertisers
- 16 The Consumers Managing (1): Making Do by Instalments
- 17 The Consumers Managing (2): Making Do and Producing
- Conclusion: A Good Buy?
- Bibliography
- Index
14 - Managing the Consumers (1): Motivational Analysts
from VI - REFLECTIONS ON THE CONSUMER SOCIETY
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- I WAITING FOR THE CONSUMER SOCIETY
- II ECONOMIES OF CONSUMPTION (1)
- III SMALL SHOPS
- IV BIG STORES
- V ECONOMIES OF CONSUMPTION (2)
- VI REFLECTIONS ON THE CONSUMER SOCIETY
- 13 Post-war Visions of Paradise: The Dawning of the Consumer Society
- 14 Managing the Consumers (1): Motivational Analysts
- 15 Managing the Consumers (2): Advertisers
- 16 The Consumers Managing (1): Making Do by Instalments
- 17 The Consumers Managing (2): Making Do and Producing
- Conclusion: A Good Buy?
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
The protagonists of Georges Perec's novel Les Choses (1965) are not named until chapter 3. Up until then they are referred to solely as ‘ils’. The effect – or purpose – of this is to emphasise that they have little identity other than as symptoms of an era. Indeed, in a reference to the student phase of their lives, which is coming to an end as the novel begins, we are told that ‘Ils avaient longtemps été parfaitement anonymes’ (35).
The moment at which the protagonists acquire names is also the point at which they obtain jobs, and the nature of these jobs is indicative of the larger issues raised by their story. Jérôme and Sylvie take up work as ‘psychosociologues’ (29), which means carrying out ‘études de motivation’ (30) – an activity that, we are told, is ‘en pleine expansion’ and in which they soon progress to the level of assignments called ‘analyse de contenu’ (33). Motivational analysis or research, exploring the public's attitudes to products at a subconscious or unconscious level, is the phenomenon that caused a stir when its aims and methods were exposed by Vance Packard in The Hidden Persuaders of 1957. Le Clézio was to denounce its ominous implications in Les Géants. In 1958, when Perec's characters take up the work, motivational research is still a relatively young profession, we are told, at a ‘stade presque artisanal’ of its development, and its rapid expansion, coupled with ‘la nouveauté des méthodes’, means there are openings for inexperienced people who can learn on the job.
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- Information
- Consumer ChroniclesCultures of Consumption in Modern French Literature, pp. 241 - 255Publisher: Liverpool University PressPrint publication year: 2011