This course is an introduction to the investigation of industrial capitalism not as an economic system but rather as a hegemonic cultural system that invades all aspects of daily life. We will explore key metaphors of industrial society: the market, the commodity, the clock, the railway, the machine, the parlor, the street, the empire. Through a selection of significant readings in this field – readings which include some of the most creative cultural histories of the last couple of decades – we will discuss how these metaphors conditioned men's and women's behavior and consciousness.