Daily Life in 18th-Century England

Daily Life in 18th-Century England cover

Daily Life in 18th-Century England

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Description

Informative, richly detailed, and entertaining, this book portrays daily life in England in 1700–1800, embracing all levels of society—from the aristocracy to the very poor—to describe a nation grappling with modernity.

When did Western life begin to strongly resemble our modern world? Despite the tremendous evolution of society and technology in the last 50 years, surprisingly, many aspects of life in the 21st century in the United States directly date back to the 18th century across the Atlantic. Daily Life in Eighteenth-Century England covers specific topics that affect nearly everyone living in England in the 18th century: the government (including law and order); race, class, and gender; work and wages; religion; the family; housing; clothing; and food. It also describes aspects of life that were of greater relevance to some than others, such as entertainment, the city of London, the provinces and beyond, travel and tourism, education, health and hygiene, and science and technology.

The book conveys what life was like for the common people in England in the years 1700–1800 through chapters that describe the state of society at the beginning of the century, delineate both change and continuity by the century's end, and identify which segments of society were impacted most by what changes—for example, improvements to roads, a key change in marriage laws, the steam engine, and the booming textile industry. Students and general readers alike will find the content interesting and the additional features—such as appendices, a chronology of major events, and tables of information on comparative incomes and costs of representative items—helpful in research or learning.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
A Note on Dates and Texts
Introduction to the Second Edition
DOMESTIC LIFE
1. Family, Gender, and Sexuality: "Twenty Pounds Will Marry Me"
Document: James Fordyce, "Sermon XII: On Meekness" (1767)
Document: Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792)
2. Health Care, Hygiene, and Death: "One Foot within the Grave"
Document: John Theobold, Every Man His Own Physician (1767)
ECONOMIC LIFE
3. Class and Race: "Not Created Equal"
Document: "The Way to Peace and Plenty," The Times (1795)
4. Work, Wages, and the Economy: "The Main Business of the Life of Man"
Document: Daniel Defoe, The Compleat English Tradesman (1727)
INTELLECTUAL LIFE
5. Education: "A Progeny of Learning"
Document: Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The Rivals (1775)
6. Science: "Everything Yields to Experiment"
Document: John Harris, Astronomical Dialogues between a Gentleman and a Lady (1719)
MATERIAL LIFE
7. Clothing and Fashion: Cork Rumps and Cocked Hats
Document: "The Ladies Head-Dress" (1777)
Document: William Madden, The Bath Macaroni; with Other Sketches from Nature (1781)
8. Food and Drink: "The Roast Beef of Old England"
Document: Eliza Haywood, A New Present for a Servant-Maid (1771)
9. Housing and Household Goods: "One Large Room, a Serpentine River, and a Wood"
Document: James Cawthorn, "Of Taste: An Essay" (1771)
10. Transportation and Communication: "The Turnpike Roads of the Kingdom"
Document: Karl Philipp Moritz, Travels in England in 1782 (1782)
POLITICAL LIFE
11. The State and the People: A Nation of Politicians
Document: "T." (pseudonym), Letter to Lady Charlotte (1754)
12. London and the Province: "The Whole of Human Life in All Its Variety"
Document: William Hogarth, Low-Life: Or One Half of the World, Knows Not How the Other Half Live (1754)
RECREATIONAL LIFE
13. Sports, the Arts, and Entertainment: "Their Enjoyment of Sports or Pastimes"
Document: César de Saussure, A Foreign View of England in the Reigns of George I and George II: The Letters of Monsieur César de Saussure to His Family (1728)
RELIGIOUS LIFE
14. Religion: The Sleeping Congregation?
Document: John Wesley, The Journal of the Reverend John Wesley (1766)
Document: James Woodforde, Passages from the Five Volumes of the Diary of a Country Parson (1758–1802)
Chronology
General Bibliography
Index

Product details

Published Apr 17 2017
Format Hardback
Edition 2nd
Extent 480
ISBN 9781440855030
Imprint Greenwood
Illustrations 16 bw illus
Dimensions 9 x 6 inches
Series The Greenwood Press Daily Life Through History Series
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Kirstin Olsen

KIRSTIN OLSEN is a freelance writer and the author…

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