“The tyranny of name brands. The cult of celebrity. A consumer culture inflamed by advertisers who rely on sex to seduce.” It’s all just so terribly American, circa 21st century, isn’t it? Well, no, it’s all so 18th century French, actually, and a new book points out that, despite the current unpopularity of all things French among a certain sector of the American population, much of our current popular culture and its materialist trappings can be traced back to the influence of Louis XIV.