Study of Early Nineteenth Century Aristocracy Life

662 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The perspective of history

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” With that first line I am captured, thrown back into a world two hundred years old. The scene around me melts into a Regency-style ball room, elegant young ladies in long, ornate gowns waltzing on the arms of dashing gentlemen, sleek black chaises pulling up the cobblestone drive, portly musicians puffing at their instruments in the corner. And I am in the middle of it all, experiencing the lives of my ancestors with the turn of each page. This is my guilty pleasure, the Regency. However, the only way I have been able to learn about this grand era has been through novels and the internet- mediums that, while very depictive and revelatory, cannot provide me with all the information I seek. I want to know about more than just the dances and the social lives of the early nineteenth century aristocracy. I want to know about the lives and cultures of all the people: the peasants, the workers, the farmers, the merchants, the gentry, and the royalty. What did they eat? What were their laws, written and unwritten? How many were religious? What did they learn in school? How did they spend their money? What were their political views? There is only one way I could possibly learn all of this and more- by being taught, in a class.
My dream class would be entitled “What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: or the Life and Culture of Regency Society”, after a useful encyclopedia I have read on the late Georgian period. This reference guide by Daniel Pool would naturally be the first reading assignment, giving students a general taste of life in the early nineteenth century. The students would then write an essay comparin...

... middle of paper ...

...ple of the Regency and describing any hardships or benefits they experienced while reenacting this era.
While a class on life during the Regency era has absolutely nothing to do with my intended major- or most likely anyone else’s- it would still be an interesting and enjoyable subject to learn. The past often plays an integral role in shaping the future, and understanding it can help us better appreciate the life we live today and the effort it took to get here. Not only that, but learning about the Regency era would provide important background for many other classes such as Romantic literature and European history. However, to me the Regency is more than just a potentially beneficial college course- it is a fascination I want to further explore; a love I hope to nurture and grow. That is why, if a Regency course is ever offered, I will be the first to sign up!

Show More
Related

  • The Murder of Helen Jewett by Patricia Cline Cohen

    1471 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the Victorian era, in New York City, men and women roles within the society were as different as night and day. A man regardless of his extra curricular activities could still maintain a very prevalent place in society. A woman’s worth was not only based family name which distinguished her class and worth, but also her profession if that was applicable.

    Read More

  • History: Industralization and the Gilded Age

    771 Words  | 2 Pages

    Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to live in this world and country during the transition from a rural; agriculture society to an economic nation rise of an industrialized society? Well that is exactly what the people of the Gilded Age experienced. It was a time of a dramatic business and political practice. In order for the business’s to rise there soon became a great amount of separation towards the people and the country. This caused our society to experience a stressful time and made it very difficult for ideas and concepts to equal out. Throughout this specific document there are four sources that were written by different individuals. Each and every source has an explanation and an overview of the times in the Gilded Age.

    Read More

  • Catharine Maria Sedgwick’s A New-England Tale and Hope Leslie

    3303 Words  | 7 Pages

    Clements, Victoria. Introduction. A New-England Tale. By Catharine Maria Sedgwick. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.

    Read More

  • Examination of Women's Friendships through an Analysis of Katherine Philips' Friendship's Mystery

    4227 Words  | 9 Pages

    concern to men of the seventeenth century. Out of the oppressive setting of the seventeenth century

    Read More

  • The Life of Women in the Early 19th Century

    1578 Words  | 4 Pages

    knew that he was my real uncle [Mr. Reed]" but Mr. Reed had died and

    Read More

  • Aristocracy, Oligarchy, And Monarchy By Stephen Douglass

    822 Words  | 2 Pages

    With a dictionary definition (cited above), there is little end result between all definitions besides democracy. monarchy, oligarchy, aristocracy, tyranny all translate to few people or individual(s) ruling with power. Indeed, aristocracy and oligarchy are synonymous within this definition, as well as monarchy, aristocracy, and tyranny. The former being ruled by groups while the latter in definition are ruled by individuals. Not much difference.

    Read More

  • The Nouveaux Riche of Victorian England

    488 Words  | 1 Pages

    As the middle class began to further divide, those who grew in wealth became known as a banking/industrial class. Along with their sudden economic prosperity there came a desire for social transformation- an aspiration for new aristocracy. They carried their traditional middle class values into prominence with their accumulation of wealth. They sought to achieve a merit oriented Society rather than social climbing, for their children's sake, into the existing one based solely on birth. This hindered the new class from ever attaining Aristocratic Social acceptance for their new wealth and deemed them the nouveaux riche. Despite obvious disapproval from the Aristocracy the nouveaux riche continued their economic ascent through "personal contact [which] was a crucial element in filling posts" (Loftus 5). This dependence upon others for mounting economic standing was contrary to the middle class value of independence. This industrial class was forced to rely upon the connections, potentially aristocratic, in order to succeed. Loftus explains that middle-class values were carved out in these attempts to define a society based on merit rather than aristocratic privilege. However, the importance of cultural capital and social networks to success in the period implies that the rise of the middle-classes in the Victorian period saw the replacement of one set of privileges with another (Loftus 4). However the Nouveaux Riche failed to fully assimilate into aristocratic society due to lack of pedigree.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles During THe Nineteenth Century

    1249 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the Nineteenth Century, the gender roles were greatly divided. Women were seen to have a completely differently status and nature from men. The stereotypical woman during this time-period was dependent, passive, domestic, and far weaker then a man. Men on the other hand, were far more dominant, dependent, controlling, ambitious and active. Men were the protectors and providers for the family. As if women weren’t already inferior enough to men, when they got married, essentially everything that was theirs was striped from them. What she once owned, was now her husbands, this included her savings, her land, her slaves, her freedom and especially her independence (Steele and Brislen). Women were expected to just do their household duties and be content with their lives and want nothing more. This lead wives to live in the shadows of their spouse. It is Charlotte Perkins Gilman, a feminist writer of the Nineteenth and early Twentieth Century who illustrates the discord of the gender roles of this time-period. One of her most famed writings is “The Yellow Wallpaper.” In this short story, we read about a spouse who is totally dominated by her husband John, and we follow her while she is away rejuvenating herself from an illness. Feministic literature of this time, really focuses on the inferiority of women against men.

    Read More

  • Relations Between Women In The 18th And 19th Centuries.

    776 Words  | 2 Pages

    Point of Analysis: I feel that the author was a bit long winded in her

    Read More

  • Fashion During the Elizabethan Era

    1239 Words  | 3 Pages

    "Elizabethan Era." Elizabethan Era | The Lost Colony. The Lost Colony, 2013. Web. 20 Mar.

    Read More

  • The Enlightenment vs. the Romantic Era: Sense and Sensibility

    776 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ferguson, Carol. "LECTURE: THE ENLIGHTENMENT AND THE ROMANTIC ERA." The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. Web. 18 Aug. 2010. .

    Read More

  • Women in the Late 19th Century

    1218 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout nineteenth century Europe and leading into the twentieth century, the division and integration of equal rights and liberties towards both genders was a predominant issue. From the 1860’s and beyond, male suffrage was expanding due to working-class activism and liberal constitutionalism, however women were not included in any political participation and were rejected from many opportunities in the workforce. They were considered second-class citizens, expected to restrict their sphere of influence to the home and family, and therefore not encouraged to pursue a beneficial education or career. Because they were seen as such weak entities, the only way they were able to advocate their interests and dissatisfaction was through their own independent organizations and forms of direct action. With hard work towards improving women’s involvement in the workforce and towards political emancipation, womanhood gradually became redefined. When looking back on these crucial times in history, it is necessary to view how various images and ideas of females represented such integral symbols in modern Europe that influenced the pivotal changes they succeeded in putting forward. Earlier photos show women in society as solely conforming to what society wants them to be, however later this changes and images of women go against what is seen as appropriate and advertise the efforts made towards gender equality.

    Read More

  • To Read or Not to Read

    1619 Words  | 4 Pages

    While these are good inquiries, it should be pointed out that students do not need to learn what society considers to be “classics” to become well-educated members of society. In fact, schools should not be required to teach specific texts because it not only takes away from the individualism of the educator and his or her teaching style, but also detracts from the diversity of knowledge based upon the different learning experiences of the students.

    Read More

  • Women in the STEM Fields

    2800 Words  | 6 Pages

    In early American history, society believed that women did not have a place in education and high-level learning. They were told not to bother their brains with such advanced thinking. Middle and upper class women learned to read and write, but their education ended there. A woman’s place was said to be in the home, cooking, sewing, and taking care of the children. In the case of upper class women, their “to-do” list was cut even shorter with the servants present to do the work.

    Read More

  • Politics in the 19th Century

    1167 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the 19th century, the political climate could be closely related to a tooth gritting earthquake or a tremendous volcanic eruption. As Europe transitioned into Romanticism, socialists and classical liberals started rising from all over Europe with many different ideas. In America, slavery and social reforms were a hotbed of debate sparking many controversy’s, one of which almost lead to the secession of South Carolina. No one besides Charles Fourier, Alexis de Tocqueville, and John C. Calhoun represented the potent cocktail of varying social ideas and political theory of the 19th century better. These three were unique in their ideas and have a very impacting legacy.

    Read More

More about Study of Early Nineteenth Century Aristocracy Life

Open Document