Yaffa C. Draznin

Victorian London's Middle-Class Housewife (eBook, PDF)

What She Did All Day

• Format: PDF

Produktbeschreibung

Through a detailed description of the life and activities of the middle-class married woman of London between 1875 and 1900, this study reveals how housewives unwittingly became engines for change as the new century neared. In marked contrast to the stereotypical depictions of Victorian women in literature and on television, Draznin reveals a woman seldom seen: the stay-at-home housewife whose activities were not much different than those of her counterparts today. By exploring her daily activities, how she cleaned her home, disciplined her children, managed her servants, stretched a limited budget, and began to indulge herself, one discovers the human dimension of women who lived more than a century ago. While most studies of this period consider values, aspirations, and attitudes, this book concentrates on actions, what these women did all day, to provide readers with a new perspective on Victorian life. Late-Victorian London was a surprisingly modern city with a public face of well-lit streets, an excellent underground railway system, and extended municipal services. In the home, gas stoves were replacing coal ranges and household appliances were becoming more common. Having both money to spend and a strong incentive to buy the new laborsaving devices, ready-to-wear clothing, and other manufactured products, the middle-class matron's resistance to change gave way to a rising consumer culture. Despite her nearly exclusive preoccupation with home and family, these urban women became agents for the modernization of Britain.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Bloomsbury Publishing Inc
• Seitenzahl: 256
• Altersempfehlung: ab 7 Jahre
• Erscheinungstermin: 30. November 2000
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9780313002571
• Artikelnr.: 68528444

Autorenporträt

YAFFA CLAIRE DRAZNIN wrote this book while a Visiting Scholar of History at the University of Chicago 1996-1999./e She is an independent British Historian affiliated with the National Coalition of Independent Scholars, who returned to academia after 25 years as a published author and editor. She also writes Victorian murder mysteries.

Inhaltsangabe

Preface The MCMW's Background: 1850-1875 Growing Up Female in Mid-century
England Greater London in 1875: A Resident's View The MCMW's Spouse and the
Couple's First Home The Matron's Appearance: Her Looks and Her Clothing
The Reality: Life in Greater London, 1875-1900 The Housewife as Lowly
Domestic: Cleaning the House and Doing the Laundry The Housewife as
Specialized Domestic: Preparing the Meals and Clothing the Family The
Housewife as Employer: Managing the Servants The Housewife as Financial
Manager: Balancing the Budget The Matron in Her Maternal Role: As Bride,
Potential Mother, and Pregnant Wife The Matron as Guardian of the Family's
Health The Matron as Nurturer of the Children: Early Child Care and
Education The Matron as Social Secretary and Activities Coordinator The
Matron as Morals Arbiter: Managing Family Religious and Charitable
Obligations The Matron as Her Own Person: Satisfying Personal Needs Within
and Outside the Home The Middle-class Housewife as Shopper: The Emergence
of Late 19th-century "Consumerism" The End of the Century: Conclusion
London in 1900: A World City Reluctant to Change The Middle-class Housewife
in 1900: Inadvertent Agent for Change Appendix Bibliography Index