Download or read book Material Delight and the Joy of Living written by Michael North and published by Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.. This book was released on 2008 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Eighteenth-century Europe witnessed a commercialisation of culture as the marketing of culture became separated from its production and new cultural entrepreneurs entered the stage. Cultural consumption also played a substantial role in creating social identity. In this book, Michael North systematically explores this field for the first time in regard to the European Continent, and especially to eighteenth-century Germany. Chapters focus on the new forms of entertainment - concerts, theatre, opera, reading societies and traveling - on the one hand and on the new material culture - fashion, gardens, country houses and furniture - on the other.