The objects of affection : semiotics and consumer culture /

This seductively simple yet erudite introduction to semiotics examines the psychological, religious, and cultural roots of consumer culture and the objects individuals buy and brand themselves with. Berger (emer., San Francisco State Univ.) includes a chapter on some of the major semiotic thinkers, and then uses applied semiotics in investigating brands, identity, and consumer culture. The author steps away from critical engagement in chapter 5, "The Objects of Our Affection" (coffee, bikinis, teddy bears, vacuum cleaners, and so on), which is more an anthology of excerpts with signposts for which the reader may or may not be prepared. Though in the coda the author is careful to point out that objects can only be partially interpreted but not fully read, so the observations presented do not attempt to account for affection, or passion, or--in some cases--for the fact that sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. However, the novice to semiotics and the art of sign interpretation will find rich food for thought and intellectual engagement. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates. K. Tancheva Cornell University