Neither Use Nor Ornament - A Cultural Biography of Clutter and Procrastination

Neither use nor ornament is a book about personal productivity, narrated from the perspective of its obstacles: clutter and procrastination. It offers a challenge to the self-help promise of a clutter-free life, lived in a permanent state of efficiency and flow.The book reveals how contemporary projections of the good, productive life rely on images of failure. Riffing on the aphorism 'less is more' - a dominant refrain in present day productivity advice - it tells stories about streamlining, efficiency and tidiness over a time period of around 100 years.By focusing on the shadows of productivity advice, Neither use nor ornament seeks to unravel the moral narratives that hold individuals to account for their inefficiencies and muddles.

Product details

• Authors: Tracey Potts, Potts Tracey
• Publisher: Manchester University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 25.06.2024
• EAN: 9781526173928
• ISBN: 978-1-5261-7392-8
• No. of pages: 248
• Subjects: Guides > Self-help, everyday life > Lifestyle, personal development; Humanities, art, music > History > General, dictionaries; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; SELF-HELP / Personal Growth / Success, HISTORY / Social History, Social & cultural history, 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000, HISTORY / Europe / Great Britain / 20th Century, HISTORY / Europe / Great Britain / 21st Century, Self-help & personal development, 21st century history: from c 2000 -, Material Culture, Social and cultural history, Self-help, personal development and practical advice