What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist-The Facts of Daily Life in Nineteenth-Century England
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Product Description
For every frustrated reader of the great nineteenth-century English novels of Austen, Trollope, Dickens, or the Brontës who has ever wondered whether a duke outranked an earl, when to yell "Tally Ho!" at a fox hunt, or how one landed in "debtor's prison," here is a "delightful reader's companion that lights up the literary dark" (The New York Times).This fascinating, lively guide clarifies the sometimes bizarre maze of rules, regulations, and customs that governed everyday life in Victorian England. Author Daniel Pool provides countless intriguing details (did you know that the "plums" in Christmas plum pudding were actually raisins?) on the Church of England, sex, Parliament, dinner parties, country house visiting, and a host of other aspects of nineteenth-century English life -- both "upstairs" and "downstairs." An illuminating glossary gives at a glance the meaning and significance of terms ranging from "ague" to "wainscoting," the specifics of the currency system, and a lively host of other details and curiosities of the day.
Spotlight Customer Reviews:
Summary:
Good companion to Dickens
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Comment:
Episodic--with pretensions toward encyclopedic--social and literary descriptions of 19th century England as sometimes puzzlingly described by Dickens and Austen. Not as complete on the one hand or as insightful on the other as one might hope, but it is a good companion to Dickens.
I was surprised and saddened to learn that cheese was considered a lower-class alternative to meat!
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Summary:
Immensely pleasurable research read!
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Comment:
History fans and lovers of 19th Century literature will adore this wonderful guide to the everyday lives of people in England in that era. Everything you might care to know about work, transportation, dress, play, manners and morals and so much more is here. Perhaps you have a novel in the works about a Victorian British family and there is a question about inheritance of property? Well, the answer about who would be in line to inherit the family mansion is right here. Want to add a juicy sub-plot about a grave robber? Well, that's here as well! There's also a great deal to familiarize yourself with the language of the day.
This book is a marvelous and enjoyable research tool that will enhance your enjoyment of literature and films set in this period. History buffs will find this book to be quite a pleasurable read that they will refer to frequently. The glossary adds to the value, and I highly recommend What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist - The Facts of Daily Life in Neneteenth-Century England.
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Summary:
Good Concept, Questionable Execution
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Comment:
I found the book informative and interesting, but I discovered some arguable details in the references to the novels that left me wondering whether or not the accuracy of the book's contents can be trusted.
An example of the type of reference to novels that I found arguable can be found in the chapter 'Reader I Married Him':
"On the other hand, you could...marry your cousin...Emma and Mr. Woodhouse scheme for her to do just that."
Emma eventually marries her brother-in-law, not her cousin, and to my knowledge, no cousins of hers are mentioned in the novel. Aside from that, Mr. Woodhouse is opposed to marriage as change in the status quo, and would scarcely be scheming with anyone to bring one about!
I think this is a decent introduction to Victorian times, but I'd double-check it as a reference!
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Summary:
Use with caution
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Comment:
Two and a half stars. The basic concept of this book is a useful and interesting one: describe for the general reading public the vanished world of the 19th century. But the 19th century saw an enormous amount of change, and it should be remembered that the lives of Austen and Dickens overlapped for only five years--he was born in 1812, and she died in 1817. It was a measure of the social change which took place during the century that Austen's beloved niece Fanny in her own old age viewed her aunt as having been somewhat vulgar by Victorian standards. Although there are many interesting details (sometimes repeated too often!), author Pool does not do enough to distinguish manners, morals, and conditions at one end of the century from those at the other. There do seem to be as well some literary inaccuracies. (What, for example, does he mean in a discussion of marriage between cousins, that Emma and Mr. Woodhouse are trying to promote a marriage between her and her first cousin???)
Although there is some good information here, be sure to take it with a grain of salt.
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Summary:
An amazing tool!
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Comment:
This book is a marvel, understandable to any person intelligent enough to enjoy Charles Dickens. Every aspect of life is within its scope. Easy to use, it is easily the best resource on my shelves. Indispensable to readers (and writers).
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