Research Paper on:
William Leach's Land of Desire

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
products, purchasing new products, and constantly being on the forefront of new products. We are never happy with an old product if a new promises to do better. We are  obsessed with consumerism. But, we never really stop to consider where this obsession originated. We do not stop to think where it started, perhaps assuming it is nothing more than  a sign of our evolution or our advancing technology, where we are left more time for leisure activities. William Leach, in his book "Land of Desire," presents us with his  theories concerning the origins of our consumer society. His book discusses the period of American history from 1890 to 1927, pointing out the changes and innovations in salesmanship offered by  the country, leading us to the position we live within today. In the following paper we examine the central theme to Leachs book. The paper then discusses the books strengths  and weaknesses, a section which is followed by a brief look at critical reviews of Leachs book. Central Theme One of Leachs most powerful and central themes to his  work is that which focuses on the fact that consumerism began before WWI and not after. Many people equate the decades following the great wars with the notion of consumerism  and leisure. Leach attempts to illustrate that the materialistic world of consumerism was around many decades prior to this time. In addition, a powerful underlying theme is that which states  we should accept the fact that we are a consumerist nation and stop trying to deny the truth. Leach indicates that "In the decades following the Civil War, American capitalism  began to produce a distinct culture, unconnected to traditional family or community values, to religion in any conventional sense, or to political democracy....The cardinal features of this culture were acquisition