Synopses & Reviews
Drawing on expressive and material culture, Linda Young shows that money was not enough to make the genteel middle class. It required exquisite self-control and the right cultural capital to perform ritual etiquette and present oneself confidently, yet modestly. She argues that genteel culture was not merely derivative, but a re-working of aristocratic standards in the context of the middle class necessity to work. Visible throughout the English-speaking world in the 1780s-1830s and onward, genteel culture reveals continuities often obscured by studies based entirely on national frameworks.
Synopsis
Introduction Cultural Baggage: The Genteel World In-between: The Problem of the Middle Class The Civilising Process: The Morphology of Gentility Under Control: The Genteel Body Best Behaviour: Public Relationships Correct Taste: The Material Conditions of Gentility Conclusion End Notes Bibliography
About the Author
Linda Young teaches Cultural Heritage Management, University of Canberra.