The Affluent Society | Style

The Affluent Society Style

Stylistic Flourish

Throughout The Affluent Society, Galbraith makes use of stylistic flourish to make his points more entertaining and understandable to the general reading public. Robert Lekachman explains, in an introduction to John Kenneth Galbraith and His Critics (1972), by Charles H. Hession, "As even casual readers and severe critics of Galbraith usually attest, the man writes a lovely English prose - witty, supple, eloquent." The use of figurative language and Biblical reference, for example, demonstrates Galbraith's frequently praised talent for word play and for coining catchy, original phrases. For example, in the opening chapter, he warns the reader that his book puts forth controversial and original ideas that may challenge generally accepted notions held to be the norm. He criticizes the social atmosphere in which "the bland lead the bland." Galbraith here refers to a Biblical parable from which the commonly used phrase "the blind leading the blind" is often quoted....
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