All 5 Uses of
bourgeois
in
The Catcher in the Rye
- ...my suitcases, for instance. He kept saying they were too new and bourgeois.
Chpt 15 *bourgeois = represented middle class values
- Everything I had was bourgeois as hell.†
Chpt 15
- Even my fountain pen was bourgeois.†
Chpt 15
- He borrowed it off me all the time, but it was bourgeois anyway.†
Chpt 15
- At first he only used to be kidding when he called my stuff bourgeois, and I didn't give a damn—it was sort of funny, in fact.†
Chpt 15
Definition:
-
(bourgeois) typical of the middle class or their values and habits - typically used disapprovingly
or (in Marxist theory):
typical of the property-owning classeditor's notes: Bourgeois is often used to refer to the values of the upper middle class. You may also see the term petit bourgeois to describe very small business owners.
Note that bourgeois, bourgeoisie, and bourgeoise are often interchanged.
Bourgeois is most common and can be used as an adjective or a noun. Bourgeoisie is typically used only as a noun, and bourgeoise is occasionally used as an alternate spelling of bourgeois.