A Matter of Taste Book Summary - A Matter of Taste Book explained in key points
Listen to the Intro
00:00

A Matter of Taste summary

Stanley Lieberson

How Names, Fashions, and Culture Change

(5 ratings)
19 mins
Table of Contents

    A Matter of Taste
    summarized in 11 key ideas

    Audio & text in the Blinkist app
    Key idea 1 of 11

    Different from customs, fashion is regularly undergoing change for novelty’s sake.

    When we hear the word fashion, the first thing that springs to mind are catwalks and designer labels. But the term describes far more than that. Fashion is a phenomenon that can be found in all aspects of society.

    Changes in fashion usually happen for novelty’s sake, not to enhance or alter an object or concept. In other words, a fashion is something new for the sake of its novelty as well as aesthetic reasons: last season’s sweater still fits and keeps you warm, but you’ll buy a new one anyway simply because it’s the latest “thing.”

    However, we don’t only buy new things because of fashion: we’ll also buy something because it’s objectively enhanced, e.g., a smartphone with a longer battery life. This doesn’t qualify as a fashion since the change hasn’t occurred purely for novelty’s sake.

    It’s also important to distinguish fashions from customs – though customs can develop into fashions.

    Different cultures may have distinctive habits of dressing, furnishing, etc. that aren’t “purely utilitarian,” but as long as these habits don’t change regularly, they’re customs and not a fashion. For example, the kimono might be a distinctive clothing style that doesn’t serve a direct purpose, but for a long period of time it was the traditional dress in Japan, hence it is a custom rather than a fashion.

    But if at some point the kimono makes a comeback among Japanese designers, it would be considered a fashion. That's because dressing habits first become a matter of fashion when there's a regular change in styles for the sake of novelty.

    Finally, fashion also has an influence on non-material things. Fashions change over time and an actress’s hairdo or a piece of music from the early 20th century no longer have the same impact on an audience today. Even Beethoven’s most famous symphony that enthused a whole generation isn't played in every concert house today.

    Want to see all full key ideas from A Matter of Taste?

    Key ideas in A Matter of Taste

    More knowledge in less time
    Read or listen
    Read or listen
    Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
    Find your next read
    Find your next read
    Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
    Shortcasts
    Shortcasts New
    We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.

    What is A Matter of Taste about?

    A Matter of Taste examines how and why fashions and tastes in things like baby names change over time.

    Best quote from A Matter of Taste

    The development of fashion in names, such that they are increasingly given to children because of aesthetic measures, is a relatively recent development.

    —Stanley Lieberson
    example alt text

    Who should read A Matter of Taste?

    • Anyone interested in how fashions develop
    • Anyone who wants to know why we pick the baby names we do
    • Anyone looking for inspiration in choosing a child’s name

    About the Author

    Stanley Lieberson is a Canadian sociologist and research professor at Harvard University. Besides first names and fashions, he has studied language conflicts, race and ethnic relations.

    Categories with A Matter of Taste

    Books like A Matter of Taste

    People ❤️ Blinkist
    Sven O.

    It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.

    Thi Viet Quynh N.

    Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.

    Jonathan A.

    Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.

    Renee D.

    Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.

    People also liked

    Start growing with Blinkist now
    26 Million
    Downloads on all platforms
    4.7 Stars
    Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
    91%
    Of Blinkist members create a better reading habit*
    *Based on survey data from Blinkist customers
    Powerful ideas from top nonfiction

    Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 5,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.

    Start your free trial