victorian context Flashcards
what were men and women called?
men = “bread winners”
women = “angel of the house”
what were middle class women taught in order to attract men?
- “accomplishments”
- music, singing, drawing, dancing and modern languages
characteristics of a wife?
- innocent to imply purity and chastity
- meek and lack opinions especially if political
what did William Acton say?
“the majority of women are not very much troubled with sexual feeling of any kind”
could women speak to men?
only with a non married woman present as a chaperone
when would girls marry?
- late teens / early 20s
- man about 5 years older
when was marriage season?
april - august
what was worn at weddings?
- orange blossom coronets to symbolise chastity
- veil not lifted until after ceremony to reinforce purity
when was divorce impossible till?
1857 Matrimonial Causes act
how many private acts for divorce passed each year?
10
when did “angel of the house become a phrase”
- 1854
- women maintain the “moral purity” of the house
when did marrying for romance become a thing?
- the Enlightenment
- late 18th century
- replaced arranged marriages by the time the victorian era began
what poem was “angel of the house from”
- 1854
- coventry patmore
- “she loves with love that cannot tire”
- similar to Goring’s “women are not meant to judge us, but forgive us when we need forgiveness”
punch magazine on the new woman
- “over-educated, embittered spinster”
fin de siecle?
“pursuit of new sensations”
