I love watching movies based on historical time periods especially anything around the British Regency and the Grand Siecle (before the French Revolution ).
LIKES: Jane Austen
I have learned to like Jane Austen and have started watching Sense and Sensibility. After reading The Jane Austen Handbook, it's shocking how different things were done in those times. They used words like "sensible" to describe a proper husband, "agreeable" and the main purpose of women was to find a proper mate. WHY? Because if they didn't marry properly then they could be left out in the cold when their father died because WOMAN couldn't inherit property. The book teaching you how to write a letter (in that time) and the Do's and Don'ts on pursuing a man. "you must not be too forward"-Women actually gave away locks of their hair to show that they were interested. Creepy
LIKES: I just finished reading Passionate Minds which is a historical novel based on the story of Voltaire and Emilie du Chatelet. Emilie was a member of the French Aristocracy and therefore led a life full of wealth, parties, and Versailles. Voltaire was a write/poet who came from almost nothing to riches. In this period people married not for love but as business practice. One family exchanged their daughter/dowry for a husband and security. In this period titles meant everything and the longer you had your title the more important you were in aristocratic circle. One interesting fact that I learned was that nobles didn't have to pay taxes but if they ever came to work then that privilege was revoked. Also, almost everyone had a mistress or an affair which to an extent was acceptable as long as it was kept on DL. Gambling was huge with the nobles which caused many rich nobles to go bankrupt.
Fashion: Regency
Fashion: Marie Antoinette
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