Courtship and Marriage in Victorian England

This book examines the popular publications of the Victorian period illuminating the intricacies of courtship and marriage from the differing perspectives of the working middle and upper classes contemporary culture the near obsessive pursuit of love and monogamous bliss is considered normal as evidenced by a wide range of online dating sites television shows such as Sex in the City and The Bachelorette and an endless stream of Hollywood romantic comedies. Ironically when it comes to love and marriage we still wrestle with many of the same emotional and social challenges as our 19th-century predecessors did over 100 years ago.Courtship and Marriage in Victorian England draws on little-known conduct books letter-writing manuals domestic guidebooks periodical articles letters and novels to reveal what the period equivalents of dating and tying the knot were like in the Victorian era. By addressing topics such as the etiquette of introductions and home visits the roles of parents and chaperones the events of the London season model love letters and the specific challenges facing domestic servants seeking spouses author Jennifer Phegley provides a fascinating examination of British courtship and marriage rituals among the working middle and upper classes from the 1830s to the 1910s.