Synopses & Reviews
Just as our own games have a lot to say about modern American culture, so sports are a prism through which we can gain valuable insights into Victorian society. The Sporting Life: Victorian Sports and GameS≪/i> is an engaging and perceptive account of how sport developed during Britain's heyday, who played (and who wasn't allowed to play), and what it all conveys about gender, race, imperialism, and national pride.
Drawing extensively on 19th-century writings, The Sporting Life begins with a survey of sports in pre-Victorian England and the impact of industrialism in the early 19th century. We read of the effects of evangelicalism and utilitarianism, both of which first opposed sport, then used it for their own purposes. We learn of the association of sports with masculinity, an identification women challenged late in the century. Finally we learn how English sports became part of the imperial game, used to promote—and resist—the spread of Victoria's vast empire.
Review
· Excerpts from 19th-century English writings on sports allow the Victorians speak in their own words about the meaning of sports in their lives
· Illuminating and entertaining illustrations of many aspects of Victorian sports include humorous spoofs on sports from Punch magazine
· A glossary explains the sometimes arcane terms used in Victorian sports
"In this well-researched volume, Anderson (emer., Loyola Univ., New Orleans) looks at the emergence of sports as an
outgrowth of Victorian values. . . . This is excellent social history. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers."Choice
Review
"In this well-researched volume, Anderson (emer., Loyola Univ., New Orleans) looks at the emergence of sports as an
outgrowth of Victorian values. . . . This is excellent social history. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers." - Choice
Synopsis
This lively and intriguing study looks at the way sports both reflected and shaped Victorian society.
Just as our own games have a lot to say about modern American culture, so sports are a prism through which we can gain valuable insights into Victorian society. The Sporting Life: Victorian Sports and Games is an engaging and perceptive account of how sport developed during Britain's heyday, who played (and who wasn't allowed to play), and what it all conveys about gender, race, imperialism, and national pride.
Drawing extensively on 19th-century writings, The Sporting Life begins with a survey of sports in pre-Victorian England and the impact of industrialism in the early 19th century. We read of the effects of evangelicalism and utilitarianism, both of which first opposed sport, then used it for their own purposes. We learn of the association of sports with masculinity, an identification women challenged late in the century. Finally we learn how English sports became part of the imperial game, used to promote--and resist--the spread of Victoria's vast empire.
Synopsis
This lively and intriguing study looks at the way sports both reflected and shaped Victorian society.
Synopsis
• Relates how sports in the Celtic nations of Scotland, Wales, and Ireland were used to resist English domination, providing fascinating insights into the political power of sports
• Helps break down the stereotyped image of the serious-minded, pleasure-denying Victorian and shows how social values changed in the course of Queen Victoria's long reign
• Provides historical perspective on some of the problems and challenges organized sports confront today, such as professionalization versus amateurism, gambling, class and race relations, violence in sports, women's access to sports, and sports as an expression of national pride and identity
Synopsis
• Excerpts from 19th-century English writings on sports allow the Victorians speak in their own words about the meaning of sports in their lives
• Illuminating and entertaining illustrations of many aspects of Victorian sports include humorous spoofs on sports from Punch magazine
• A glossary explains the sometimes arcane terms used in Victorian sports
Synopsis
Most of the sports played globally today were created or modernized in Victorian England. Baseball comes from an English game called rounders, while American "football" (not to be confused with British football) comes from English rugby. It was even a Victorian Englishman, Dr. W. P. Brookes, who first campaigned for a revival of the Greek Olympic games on an international basis.