A History of Courtship
800 Years of Seduction
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4.0 • 4 Ratings
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
Tania O’Donnell takes the reader on a journey from medieval Courtly Love, through to the sexual license of the Restoration, and Victorian propriety. Pick up historical ‘dating tips,’ from how to court (or be courted), write romantic love letters, give and receive gifts, propose and pose as a sighing swain.
The book takes a historical approach to the problem of finding a mate, with case studies of classic romantic mistakes and plenty of unusual tales. In the 14th century young men tried to impress the ladies with their footwear, donning shoes with pointed toes so long that they had to be secured with whalebone—presumably because size mattered!
A History of Courtship is an entertaining and enlightening look at seduction over the centuries.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
O'Donnell (Slow Dating) unearths many quirky and telling details from the past in this whimsical history of courtship in Western society from the medieval period to the Victorian era. She touches on the lengths men and women would go to in order to physically attract a mate before the days of makeup, with strategies involving false teeth, eyebrows enhanced with mice fur, and face patching (glued pieces of black fabric used to conceal facial disfigurements). She also highlights the tokens and gifts lovers bestowed on each other, such as hand-carved spoons, coins, and locks of hair. Heavily illustrated with pages from illuminated manuscripts, Victorian valentines, and newspaper clippings, this is the perfect lighthearted gift for readers of Atlas Obscura or other offbeat histories. B&w illus.
