Price: £13.99
ISBN: 9781526756688
Published: 18th May 2020
Peek beneath the bedsheets of nineteenth-century Britain in this affectionate, informative and fascinating look at sex and sexuality during the reign of Queen Victoria. It examines the prevailing attitudes towards male and female sexual behaviour, and the ways in which these attitudes were often determined by those in positions of power and authority. It also explores our ancestors’ ingenious, surprising, bizarre and often entertaining solutions to the challenges associated with maintaining a healthy sex life.
Did the people in Victorian times live up to their stereotypes when it came to sexual behaviour? This book will answer this question, as well as looking at fashion, food, science, art, medicine, magic, literature, love, politics, faith and superstition through a new lens, leaving the reader uplifted and with a new regard for the ingenuity and character of our great-great-grandparents.
The Rosie Synopsis
Violet Fenn covers various aspects of society i relation to sex and sexuality in Victorian Britain. She covers fashion, courtship and marriage, and sexually transmitted diseases, among other things.
The Good
This is an easy to read introduction to sexuality in Victorian Britain, with examples from various parts of the country, although Liverpool, London and Shrewsbury are especially mentioned. The writing is joyous and it is clear the author enjoys her subject and is fairly knowledgeable on things Victorian.
I found it wide ranging and interesting although I don’t think there was anything I didn’t already know.
The Not-So-Good
There’s no bibliography and it’s a bit ‘surface’ – limited depth to the arguments.
The Verdict
An introduction to Victorian Britain through the lens of sex and sexuality.
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