How to Marry Up and Social Climb in Jane Austen's Regency Era

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[Subtitulado en español] If you lived in Jane Austen's era, would you try to social climb and marry up? If so, how could you do it? In this video, we break down the four essential things you would need in order to move from the Regency Era middle class into the upper class. And we'll also address, what would happen if you tried to marry too far out of your sphere. We'll use example from Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen's Emma and Sense and Sensibility to learn more about what it really took to social climb in the early 19th century.
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📚Books Mentioned in This Video
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Novel go.magik.ly/ml/1u43m/
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🧐Learn More
Dickens, F. B. (n.d.). Whims of the Wealthy: Marriage and Desire for Sense and Sensibility’s Miss Grey. JASNA essay contest. jasna.org/essaycontest/2011/un....
Perkin, J. (2016).
Women and Marriage in Nineteenth-Century England. London: Routledge.
West, J. (1806).
Letters to a Young Lady: In which the Duties and Character of Women are Considered, Chiefly with a Reference to Prevailing Opinions. United Kingdom: O. Penniman and Company.
Vickery, A., & Folio Society (London, England). (2006). The gentleman's daughter: Women's lives in Georgian England. London: Folio Society. amzn.to/3P4MRpv
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🕰 Watching Guide
00:00 How to Marry Up and social Climb in Jane Austen's Regency Era [Intro]
01:35 Money Earned from Trade and Manufacturing
04:17 Manners: Act like the Upper Class
06:19 Marriage: Make those Great Connections
08:52 Why does Miss Grey marry Willoughby? Sense and Sensibility
11:46 Manor: Buy Land to Move Up
12:35 Where does Mr Bingley's income come from? Pride and Prejudice
14:25 What if you're not in the upper middle class?
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#janeausten #regencyera #prideandprejudice #mrbingley #janebennet #janeaustenemma

Пікірлер: 800

@springlady8337 2 жыл бұрын

Ellie: if you owned a candle stick shop you’d be lower middle class Me: feeling personally attacked as I own a small business candle company

@susanmercurio1060 7 күн бұрын

It's very different now. You are a boutique entrepreneur. They sold (and probably made) candles made out of tallow.

@natpleo 2 жыл бұрын

Me: already part of a long, stable, modern XXI century relationship Also me: *taking notes and paying my undivided attention to this guide*

@EllieDashwood 2 жыл бұрын

😂😂😂

@walqqr1 2 жыл бұрын

Well, maybe you and your partner can give these tips to your kids someday lol

@natpleo 2 жыл бұрын

@@walqqr1 as one of my professors at college explained: "there are two ways to become rich, either by birth or by marriage", to which another professor responded: "or via divorce like our exes did". Needless to say, we're trying to build things up for the 1st option 😬

@gillianc8106 2 жыл бұрын

Kind of the same here! I’m fascinated by this stuff, despite being extremely happily married…and having turned down overtures from a family in the Norwegian nobility in the long-ago past. 😆

@TheMisabv Жыл бұрын

😂

@giovana4121 2 жыл бұрын

"I'm sure every upper-class person in the Regency Era would have liked my videos" Ma'am you're teaching social climbers to infiltrate the upper-class, I'm not so sure about that :P

@Daphattack 2 жыл бұрын

😂😂 I thought the same thing

@katherinespezia4609 2 жыл бұрын

Clearly she has not paid enough attention to Fordyce's Sermons.

@onemercilessming1342 2 жыл бұрын

Look at the disastrous marriage of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry for proof of that. Also Wallis Warfield Spencer Simpson Windsor and the one time king, Edward VIII.

@joydawg 2 жыл бұрын

This reminds me of the Middletons. The Middletons were solidly middle class and then their business took off and they sent their children to the better boarding schools in England. The children started to become friends with aristocrats and then the daughters married into royalty and aristocracy. Of course Kate will eventually have the highest title of all!

@Daphattack 2 жыл бұрын

And even now in modern times the aristocrats gave her hell for not being one of them. I remember reading all the gossip of calling her and Pippa “the Wisteria Sisters” and how they tried to embarrass her cause her mom was a flight attendant. Now she is a solid (and many agree the best) part of the royal family. Love me some Kate fashion moments plus their family is adorable. She had the last laugh.

@nandinishah1709 2 жыл бұрын

They were always upper middle class

@giraffe7604 2 жыл бұрын

With the name Middleton, I thought you were talking about a children's tale! Middleton - middle-class. What a coincidence!

@KINGCABA-if4nk 2 жыл бұрын

They was new money actually self made muiti-millionaire it's a myth that their upper middle class. As Britain doesn't recognize the nouveau riche self made class. 6 figures is different to millions

@viniri 2 жыл бұрын

I thought you were talking about Sir John and Lady Middleton from Sense and Sensibility, and for a moment, I was very confused.

@lucialp1937 2 жыл бұрын

My grandmother married down. It was a love match, but the family struggled to make ends meet, at times they actually were hungry. Grandfather died young and worn out, grandmother lived to regret the marriage. Money isn't everything, but it's a damned lot.

@Evija3000 6 ай бұрын

There's a Latvian saying that goes something like: Where hunger enters the door, love exits through a window.

@perdidoatlantic 2 жыл бұрын

My grandmother married down. Her wealthy father ensured all his daughters were educated. They were all school teachers (only thing girls could become). When she married a hog farmer against her father’s wishes he said it was her choice but she would not be welcome back if it didn’t go well for her. It didn’t and she wasn’t.

@MissCheonsa 2 жыл бұрын

ok now i'm intrigued

@EllieDashwood 2 жыл бұрын

Wow! That’s so sad that it didn’t go well. 😔

@eggnogalcoholic 2 жыл бұрын

I need more details!

@eggnogalcoholic 2 жыл бұрын

Her life’s story should be a novel.

@Tina06019 2 жыл бұрын

What a shame. Was her husband simply unfortunate in business? Or was there more to it?

@dinoxman8584 2 жыл бұрын

How to marry rich : Be pretty Be witty Don’t have embarrassing family Don’t have shop keepers as family Have a big house Don’t have a small house Go to party’s with rich single guys

@penultimateh766 2 жыл бұрын

And be tall.

@dinoxman8584 2 жыл бұрын

@@penultimateh766 of course

@janegarner6739 2 жыл бұрын

And of extreme importance, be very well educated in the liberal arts (not only fine art & literature but fine antiques, such as furniture, crystal glassware, & other furnishings of upper class homes) & be very adept at 'polite conversation' & knowledgeable of the manners of the upper class. As she points out more than once in the video, it's essential that one knows how to behave properly (that is, like the upper class) or else one will quickly learn to regret having married into the upper class.

@tromboner6061 2 жыл бұрын

wtf is this channel omg this is giving me gold digger vibes😳

@whatevergoesforme5129 2 жыл бұрын

@@janegarner6739 sounds like someone did regret marrying into the upper class, specifically the royal class....

@charlesvanderhoog7056 2 жыл бұрын

In social-psychology, the technique Ellie talks about is called "anticipatory socialisation". I find her talks highly educational, well-researched and to the point. Rare but wonderful stuff.

@m.r.6760 2 жыл бұрын

I must say that the first thing I thought was, "buy a piece of land and have a more beautiful house" as a first option. I personally would not seek to advance socially if I was in a good situation obviously. My father has a store or is a banker? I would look for someone from a similar social status, as long as I don't have to work, have entertainment and if possible servants to help me around the house I'll be fine.

@tessat338 2 жыл бұрын

And people did. You would not be doing anything unusual or unacceptable. It was encouraged by their families for people in trade and business to form alliances and connections with other trade and business families. They would have been the people that you would have encountered in daily business and social life. Some business families felt that the gentry and aristocracy were a bad bargain because they could bring in so many debts, demands and drains on even a large fortune or simply because they lacked similar values and an outlook in common. Others tried to reach for a higher station. To each their own.

@raraavis7782 2 жыл бұрын

Exactly. Why be a small fish in a large pond, if you can be a large fish in a small pond? I never got that kind of ambition...unless, it elevates you out of poverty or such, of course. I wouldn't have wanted to constantly fight, to be accepted by the people surrounding me. Never mind, dealing with being snubbed and looked down upon.

@tessat338 2 жыл бұрын

@@raraavis7782 And people who could never forget what your origins were. "Not a proper gentleman/lady. Family money came from trade!!!"

@alisaoliver1969 2 жыл бұрын

Good points all. But, since I am 100% THAT !@#$%, I'd DELIGHT in reminding the "fam" as well as others how they were able to keep their place in society and their land/houses: by marrying me and my millions because they were composed of more mortgage than money. I'd be known as an Original because whatever anyone clapped at me, I'd clap it right back. Only those who wanted a verbal smacking would get in my face with some snobbish nonsense. I would also be highly educated in order to sling innuendo every bit as well as they could. Fun times!!!! 😆🤣😂😹😆🤣

@StarryEyed0590 2 жыл бұрын

@@alisaoliver1969 Yeah, but being an Original is as much about the way you are received as how you actually behave. People in good society wouldn't exactly appreciate being clapped back at, so without at least a very powerful ally or two, you'd be unlikely to take.

@arielklay23 2 жыл бұрын

Interesting personal story about modern snobbery. My grandmother was an American raised in upper class family. Her father was a superior court judge, she was a debutante, went to a private university and traveled abroad after graduation. Her mother was mortified when she married someone she thought was beneath her daughter socially. Interestingly, the marriage didn't last after the children were grown. She said it was because he wasn't available emotionally, but I wonder if their class difference was a factor.

@susanmercurio1060 7 күн бұрын

Maybe one reason why he married her was to raise himself socially and it didn't work out.

@wednesdayschild3627 2 жыл бұрын

The Medici were pharmacists outside of Florence. They invented double entry bookkeeping and the did branch banking. They married up. The English Stuart were Medici.

@user-xh4os4sx1v Жыл бұрын

I thought they started out in insurance, the Medici? Gentleman Jack, the 1830's assures us that manners were regarded less than originality by the upper echelon. To assert there was only one sort of upper class leaves no room for Byron and his 'fat friend', the Prince Regent, who forced his way into the frontispiece of Emma. Dissipation, at the time, seems to have been a part of the rites of passage, as much as the Grand Tour (where you probably got two for the price of one). Yes, theatre, horse racing, gentlemen's clubs, lots of room for tearing it up. But then you had the Duke of Bridgewater who made a vast fortune investing in canal building, some say £70,000. Choose your poison.

@wednesdayschild3627 8 ай бұрын

@@user-xh4os4sx1vnope. The name Medici means pharmacist. They and the strozzi were rural banking families that married each other. The aristocracy of Europe hated that they were beholden to those bankers in trade. Never mind, the nanking famolies ran iq circles around the upper class.

@Valentina-eh5zf 2 жыл бұрын

Jane Bennet (Jane Fairfax as well, educated, beautiful, talented, very elegant manners and intelligent) was a perfect exemple of a woman who could easily marry up in the regency era. She is a very beautiful young woman, classy, with gentle and calm spirit, pure of heart, decent and has very lady-like manners, of course with her beauty and personality trades she is admired wherever she goes. The problem was her embarrassing family (Mother and Lydia’s affair that brought serious shame to the family). I never could understand how Mr. Bennet raised such wonderful women as Jane and Lizzie and then the three younger daughters became so foolish. Maybe after he saw his third child wasn’t a male, he gave up on educating properly his daughters, like “whatever”. He was negligent and irresponsible, his major defect. I think Mrs. Bennet nerves attacks was anxiety cuz she knew that her daughters without a rentable marriage would be miserable and her husband did nothing to solve that so she was having panic attacks. She may be foolish and superficial but she at least thought very much of her daughters and was realistic about their situation.

@siramea 2 жыл бұрын

Jane Fairfax is poor-rich, a gentlewoman with good connections by birth- she is technically marrying within her own class

@kragary 2 жыл бұрын

Jane Bennet technically married down, though. It was Bingley who married up. In that case the difference was so small however that clearly people didn't feel the need to even comment on it. As to the difference between the older Bennet girls and the younger ones, I've seen it suggested that Jane and Lizzy owe much of their good manners to the Gardiners' influence. They seem to be closer with them than the younger sisters are. Perhaps the parents sent Jane and Lizzy to London to seek husbands there back when they were younger, and while the Gardiners weren't able to introduce them to right kind of candidates and the whole thing was a failure in that regard, the girls still benefited from the experience and good example?

@countercanter86 Жыл бұрын

I think the suggestion is that because Mrs. Bennet herself came from a modest background, she was not equipped to educate and prepare young ladies. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are a cautionary tale about what happens when gentlemen whose estates are subject to entails (financially precarious) unwisely marry someone who isn’t cut out for the job because she’s cute and a good time. It reflects the beliefs of the author.

@lizanna6390 Жыл бұрын

Mary was devoted to her studies. Lydia n Kitty were young and may have matured later.

@lmarislmarislmaris4271 9 ай бұрын

Except Bingleys were only a generation or do from trade.

@sarasolomon4812 2 жыл бұрын

I loved this video! It really reminds me of the "Dollar Princesses"; the daughters of extremely wealthy American business moguls who married financially strapped European aristocracy. Of course this happened about 100 years after Jane Austen's time, but it was scandalous none the less. A lot of people know of poor Consuelo Vanderbilt, forced to marry the ninth Duke of Marlborough, with a dowry of $2.5 million in railroad stocks (over $75 million in today's money), but another fascinating story is the Mary Leiter, who married George Curzon. It didn't seem that exciting when they married (he was a member of Parliament, and a gentleman, but definitely not a duke), BUT George ended up becoming the viceroy of India in 1898, arguably the most powerful position in the English government, below Queen Victoria herself. Lady Mary Curzon became the Vicereine of India, and for all intents and purposes, lived the life of a queen. Another positive note is that Mary and George had a loving and supportive marriage. 😊

@fatimaachebly1279 2 жыл бұрын

Another one was Kick Kennedy who would've become Duchess of Devonshire if she and her husband had lived, which I find really interesting!

@joannhnat8515 2 жыл бұрын

On "Downton Abbey," Cora Levinson Crawley, who became Countess of Grantham, was a dollar princess.

@adriana516 2 жыл бұрын

And she wore the most beautiful gown ...The Peacock dress. Bernadette Banner has a video on it... Shame it has deteriorate , but even now it looks wonderful

@jaimicottrill2831 2 жыл бұрын

Yes! New money families with daughters were sending their “dollar princesses “ to England because they were having trouble marrying them off in America. Men from old money families didn’t want vulgar new money ladies and men from anew money background also wanted to marry into an old money family. So sending their girls to England where poor aristocratic families needed money meant that their families could gain respectability and consequence.

@e.i.3077 Жыл бұрын

@@fatimaachebly1279 I don’t think Kick classified as a Dollar Princess though, she wasn’t given nor promised a significant fortune to invest in Chatsworth. In other words, she lacked the “dollar” even if she came from a relevant family.

@Layla5067 2 жыл бұрын

Reminds me of Winston Churchill's parents - his father was a member of the aristocracy and his mother was a rich American heiress. A perfect match for both :)

@courtneydebian 2 жыл бұрын

too bad his mom was miserable! But we have to thank her for Winston's legacy!

@here_we_go_again2571 6 ай бұрын

@@courtneydebian Jennie Jerome was not miserable. Money was a constant problem because both Jennie and Randolph lived beyond their means. However, she and he agreed on politics and she was very helpful to his career, early on. As he became successful and did not need his wife's close support; they did not see very much of each other. But, by then Jennie had her own circle of friends and her many very rich lovers. Jennie and Randolph had an open marriage. After his death she married two much younger men.

@Qrtuop 5 ай бұрын

And they had a mass murderer son. How wonderful!

@countofdownable 5 ай бұрын

@Qrtuop Are you referring to the Bengal Famine? This was caused by a monsoon and a Japanese invasion of Burma cutting off food supplies. Churchill arranged for food supplies to be sent from Australia, Iraq and Canada during WWII with ships being sunk.

@TacticusPrime 2 жыл бұрын

Being as beautiful as Ellie Dashwood wouldn't hurt.

@raraavis7782 2 жыл бұрын

I would like to see her dress up in a period appropriate costume and hairstyle one day. Maybe an opportunity for a collaboration with another youtuber from the historical costume community.

@JackieDaytonia 2 жыл бұрын

Agreed, she is a classic beauty

@mch12311969 2 жыл бұрын

Agreed

@s6r231 2 жыл бұрын

So that explains the Bingley family really well. Obviously their dad made the money in trade, put his son and daughters in the best schools, married the elder daughter off to a layabout drunkard younger son of the aristocracy and then died leaving his son to find and purchase a manor.

@christinaMattsson 2 жыл бұрын

18:00 Im from a working class family and I honestly found it hard to fit into the middle class people at the university i studied. There are so many small things that I just didn't know. Nobody was mean to me about it dough

@fridaber6069 2 жыл бұрын

Can you elaborate on that? Would be so interesting to hear what these modern "social codes" are

@marylut6077 14 күн бұрын

@@fridaber6069it would be sports they played, owned a car, not working their way through school, type of summer job or traveled instead, where they vacationed, taking a gap year, if they had a passport, how many outfits they had for job interviews, if they could afford better than ramen noodles, etc.

@gwillis01 2 жыл бұрын

hello genteel people and friends

@JacquelineViana 2 жыл бұрын

Hello! I'm here to enquire after you and your family. I hope everyone is in good health?

@gwillis01 2 жыл бұрын

@@JacquelineViana Everyone is fine thank you for asking

@Sarah_Grant 2 жыл бұрын

Speaking to me without a proper introduction!! How crass.... 😉😄

@kyraroza7291 2 жыл бұрын

The manners part reminded me of some job-seeking advice I hear from time to time: dress for the job you ultimately want, not the one you are applying for. Of course, that advice is mostly aimed at college students to encourage them to dress better for job interviews, but still... manners.

@jvnd2785 2 жыл бұрын

Unless, you come over-dressed (yes, that is a thing)and lose the job because you make your interviewer nervous...or-if you are a woman- you look better in your clothes than your female interviewer. Manners are okay up to a certain point, otherwise you look pretentious.

@strngenchantedgirl 2 жыл бұрын

You should do a video on the book Vanity Fair in relation to trying to move up in social class. The criticism that book and the movie adaptations get is so disgustingly sexist about a woman daring to be ambitious and open in her desire to marry up. Obviously every woman wanted to marry up because that was the only way a woman could be secure in society but how dare we talk about openly .

@Daphattack 2 жыл бұрын

I just wrote the same petition! I hope she does a vid on Vanity Fair. I do think that in some adaptations its interesting (like the movie with Reese Witherspoon) they kinda give Becky a happy ending. Even in the amazon at the end Becky rides the carousel. Kinda like a nod that nowadays what Becky does is ultimately what a lot of us do, take your destiny in your own hands and do as best as you can with the hand you are dealt.

@franhunne8929 2 жыл бұрын

While marrying up was rare - but done- at least within ones class, marrying down was a thing, too (see the three sisters in Mansfield Park - one married rich, one married respectable, one married down). Marrying down was of course frowned upon, but there were less men than women (too many wars) - so what was a girl supposed to do? Stay a *gasp* spinster?

@archervine8064 2 жыл бұрын

The sex imbalance was also made worse by primogeniture…. If you want to become Lady Whoever, you need to marry Lord Whoever, not his younger brother.

@EllieDashwood 2 жыл бұрын

It really was hard to find suitable husbands back then!

@andreaweber8059 2 жыл бұрын

@@archervine8064 unless of course, if the elder brother dies....which Miss Crawford is speculating for in Mansfield Park.

@archervine8064 2 жыл бұрын

@@andreaweber8059 true, but hard to count on that…

@jamestown8398 2 жыл бұрын

@@archervine8064 One could "make sure" it happens, though there's the risk of getting caught.

@kirstenirwin9084 2 жыл бұрын

It'd be interesting to see you touch on the landed gentry being at risk of losing their fortunes and having to marry the wealthy American daughters to keep that money. I find the Million Dollar Princesses as they were called so interesting to learn about.

@Udontkno7 2 жыл бұрын

yes! but the regency was much different than the late victorian

@kirstenirwin9084 2 жыл бұрын

@@Udontkno7 I'm aware of that, but she doesn't talk solely about the Regency Era. She has covered different eras.

@funkyfranx 2 жыл бұрын

Wouldn't it just be the same as marrying any girl of money below your class?

@Neseine 2 жыл бұрын

@@funkyfranx i think that, because for a long time, being American was seen as '' less'' for British aristocracy

@bhumi7343 2 жыл бұрын

your comment reminds me of mr. henry wotton in dorian gray said about American women in the book LOL

@elisebunny1102 2 жыл бұрын

Unfortunately, it’s true even today, although we have class climbing today, it’s incredibly uncomfortable to be in a class too high for your level of manners and disposition. Just attend a black tie event and you will suffer the exact embarrassment described if you weren’t brought up to understand the customs.

@NemisCassander 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, but I think the main difference is that many people today would view the snobbery as bad, particularly if they're not in the black tie event. Whereas, in the Regency period, I think there was more of an agreement of what was socially acceptable or not.

@dianerose7631 2 жыл бұрын

I come from a family with many who have a net worth of about 1 million. My rich father did not want me to go to my brothers wedding. Probably partly because I show no signs of building wealth yet

@Palepetal 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, a middle class person would likely feel awkward being in a room with Bill Gates or Oprah Winfrey. They live in another world, and to be part of that world you'll have to be a billionaire or related to one.

@tamsmartin1 2 жыл бұрын

I think this all depends on if you care about the opinions of those around you or not. I respect those like Fauci, Goodall, those who combine both intellectual weight with a sense of ethics that sees them make a positive impact on society or the environment. If it is anyone else I generally feel nothing for their opinion, well unless I emotionally care for them in some way or have some use for them.

@Gladissims 2 жыл бұрын

@@dianerose7631 Wow, talk about putting pressure on one’s children. :/

@DaisyNinjaGirl 2 жыл бұрын

I recently started reading about the Scottish Enlightenment (starting in the 18th C), and I'm finding it shocking how much *more* egalitarian Scotland was than England in this period. Like, fully half of the University students were "the sons of industry and commerce", a lot of merchants and tradesmen were happily reading Latin and Greek, and great academics like Adam Smith were able to write "The Wealth of Nations" because he was besties with the Tobacco Lords of Glasgow, and great poets like Robbie Burns was the son of a ploughman. They aren't talking about marriage trends, though, so I'm a bit curious about how it compared to England in Austen's era. I feel like Austen would have been writing significantly different novels if she'd been born north of Gretna Green.

@Iceechibi 2 жыл бұрын

That’s why the British Empire and Royalty had been so scared of Scotland for so long. Yes they had their own Kings and Queens, but they really kicked off moving to a more modern society and England hated that.

@owl6218 5 ай бұрын

many scientists and technologists were scottish, right? apart from Maxwell...

@grogery1570 2 жыл бұрын

Not covered in your video was the option for young men to advance socially by joining the Navy. All it took was a few wars at the right time, so you could get prize money for the capture of enemy merchant men. Advancement, if you are involved in combat and a superior officer dies you are almost certain to be promoted. While there is a downside to marrying a poorly educated man of lower social class, a war hero is different.Especially if he has a nice uniform and a few medals. Finally with all these wars going on there will be a shortage of suitable men, an over supply of rich daughters thanks to all the money being spent on ships and guns (trade). So it is a great time to spend your prize money on a nice piece of land, marry that pretty young, well connected, thing and move on to a nice life in the country. The flaw in this plan is that most people who attempted it died

@FOLIPE 2 жыл бұрын

True. Also colonial endeavors were useful, as were colonial wars, for such career advancing and class climbing.

@RMatt2016 2 жыл бұрын

yea... i was thinking... what about sons.... how could they advance and imitate the upper class. i was thinking perhaps somehow trying to push into the navy, army, clergy or government? Seems harder than a daugther marrying up though

@EH23831 2 жыл бұрын

Exactly what happens to Captain Wentworth in Persuasion- before he went off to war he wasn’t suitable, but after making a lot of money- he was!

@shinjineesen400 6 ай бұрын

Even more than Captain Wentworth, Admiral Croft and his wife Sophia/Sophy come to mind. Croft moves up in the ranks in the Navy, marries Sophia Wentworth of a good family but impoverished branch (amd with naval connections of her own). Her next brother Edward becomes a clergyman with his own living, and her yoynger brother Frederick becomes a captain with a snug fortune. As a midshipman, he was earlier ineligible for a rich baronet's daughter. As a wealthy ship's captain, he was just about acceptable for a now poor baronet's daughter.

@introgirl5 2 жыл бұрын

What I've always wondered is how Darcy became friends with Bingley in the first place? If Bingley comes from a trade background and Darcy is super wealthy, how would they even meet and why would Darcy bother with him? We all know Bingley is agreeable but is that enough to solidify friendship with a Darcy?

@mamadeb1963 2 жыл бұрын

I think they met at school. They're about seven years apart in age, but it was usual for a younger boy to be basically a servant for an older student.

@zazubombay 2 жыл бұрын

I have always wondered this, too. Especially since Darcy seemed to be a social class snob at the beginning of the novel.

@funkyfranx 2 жыл бұрын

Because Bingley had a gentleman's upbringing and education, he still would have been seen as a gentleman socially- he himself had never been a tradesman, only his father. Once he bought an estate, his gentry status would have been properly cemented.

@funkyfranx 2 жыл бұрын

@@zazubombay It's Elizabeth's assumption that he's a snob, simply because he has pride. His friendship with Bingley is actually early proof to the reader that he isn't; plenty of men in his position would not have entertained someone like Bingley as a friend. At the end of the novel, it's mentioned how close Darcy remained with the Gardiners, who are of blatant socially inferiority, yet this doesn't seem to bother him.

@elenachristian9860 2 жыл бұрын

Darcy needed someone to take care of. Bingley was socially adept. They were a match made in London.

@jmarie9997 2 жыл бұрын

Jane married up in the money sense, Bingley married up in the class sense. Manners - I'd say Lady Catherine had none. The Gardiners - I see them as being quite content in their sphere.

@EllieDashwood 2 жыл бұрын

Interesting points! And Jane and Bingley definitely both gain something by their marriage!

@anomalily 2 жыл бұрын

When you're *that* rich and have a title like Lady Catherine, who need manners?

@adorabell4253 2 жыл бұрын

Lady Catherine is what Emma Woodhouse could have become without a person like Knightley. She was smarter than most people in her circle, the top dog of their area, and doted upon by quite a few other influential people. No one but Knightly ever really said no to her and that leaves a mark.

@giovana4121 2 жыл бұрын

Both Lady Catherine and Emma would have benefited from a larger society, with people of similar or higher rank. That would have taught them some humility.

@DipityS 2 жыл бұрын

@@adorabell4253 I think a couple of points would have saved Emma - she wanted to be a better person and she had a lot of heart. When she did wrong by Harriet she didn't need Knightley to set her right, she naturally wanted to make amends. But I have to agree Emma's behaviour to the Coles and their evening party in no way flattered her character. However! Once she was at the party she did behave charmingly and I'm not sure Lady Catherine was ever charming to anyone, even Darcy.

@anieth 2 жыл бұрын

Interesting to think of Carolyn Bingley and Lizzie where Carolyn must have been wildly envious because she spent all this time and effort trying to be in Lizzie's class and still failed in the eyes of Darcy. What's even more interesting is that we have this in the States. Middle class behavior is so, well, obvious. My parents were highly educated but both of them were from the upper lower class and could not adjust to middle class values (like cocktail hour and golf). They preferred beer and camping out. But being so educated put them out of the blue collar realm in which they were comfortable. We both went to good schools or worked places where middle class people engaged in that cutting behavior in which Carolyn Bingley excelled and despised it. I worked with the extremely rich, and got along with them very well because we both had no middle class values! The only differences in our behavior were money, and not manners at all. I went to high school in England and also found this to be the case. Because I was eccentric and an artist, I was acceptable to the upper classes and not to the middle, where manners and appearance were the driving factors. My sister married up and faced constant criticism and was somewhat miserable at having to watch her every move, even in the US. Good video!

@lynnb2562 2 жыл бұрын

It's someone who married not out of my class but specifically out of my culture, I actually kind of agree with the idea that they could very easily spend the rest of their lives being frustrated with not being as natural in knowing how to behave in an upper-class. Coming from the West Coast United States and marrying into a deep south family I have spent a good portion of time feeling frustrated and irritated and confused as to the social expectations and I've actually caused myself a lot of Problem by not knowing how something women behave. I come from a culture that is very straightforward and if you don't like somebody you just don't like them you don't behave like you do like them but here in the South I have come to learn that a lot of women who pretend to be my friend or not and that is pretty normal. I didn't know the be nice to somebody wasn't genuine at first glance. So I can understand especially how some of mr. Darcy's family treat Elizabeth

@belindagarza3958 2 жыл бұрын

I always thought Mr. weston did a wonderful job of moving up. He bought a house, became part of society, married a woman of genteel birth, his son inherited a fortune and estate. His son married a young lady of respectable birth and excellent manners.

@FOLIPE 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, key thing was money

@ccburro1 2 жыл бұрын

What is the source of mr Weston’s money?

@ElizabethJones-pv3sj 2 жыл бұрын

I thought Mr Weston had been in the Army, not in trade? Its been a long time since I read it but I thought he was unable to take care of baby Frank because of his military duties (probably being stationed overseas). I don't think he is an example of moving between classes, he obviously had the social connections to marry relatives of rich landed gentry (Frank's connection to the Churchills is through his mother, Mr Weston's first wife). I think he was relatively poor for the upper class, probably a younger son. Emma has zero qualms about associating with him (and even wants him to marry her governess, the closest thing Emma has to a mother) and we know how much of a snob Emma is. She is very concerned about associating with the Coles and is hesitant about Mrs Elton. Now I think about it he would have had a military title if he had been in the army but I can't believe he was in trade or Emma wouldn't have had anything to do with him I'd have to assume he was in a respectable profession, probably Law.

@avocadochildv8158 2 жыл бұрын

@@ElizabethJones-pv3sj from what I recall, the one who was in the army was Jane fairfaxes father, which is the reason she was able to grow up with an upper or at least higher middle class upbringing, the reason that mr Weston has connections to the Churchill’s is that his previous wife married down, and when she died he was in so much debt from trying to maintain a lifestyle suitable for someone like her, that the Churchill’s decided to take frank, mrs Churchill’s estranged sisters son

@glendodds3824 2 жыл бұрын

@@ccburro1 Trade.

@susantescione8007 2 жыл бұрын

I think what is not mentioned here is investment money. Many, many landed gentlemen and nobles became invested in companies like the East India company, putting them into trade and making them even wealthier. So at about the same time as the regency period, and even before, Britain was highly involved in international trade, and it was quite lucrative. Investments in fabrics like silk, jewelry and precious and semi-precious stones, metals such as gold and silver, were quite common, even among the landed gentry and the nobility. In fact, without investment by nobility, luxury trade would not have been possible.

@FOLIPE 2 жыл бұрын

Yes colonial ventures and trade were major destination for british investments at the time. I think in Mansfield Park Sir Thomas the owner of the house is in Antigua setting up business.

@Draconisrex1 2 жыл бұрын

Mrs. Bennett did it. Of course she was quite the looker according to Mr. Bennett. And she had a decent dowry. Also, my wife would LOVE your necklace.

@KiraRagged 2 жыл бұрын

Actually i wondered abou this because it didn't sound like Mrs Bennett's dowry was really that good, and i got the impression that many in their social circle thought her manners/ behavior was inappropriate. This video made me wonder why Mr Bennett married down to her.

@michellebrouellette 2 жыл бұрын

@@KiraRagged When she was young she was HOT. People will do rash things owing to sexual attraction.

@edithengel2284 5 ай бұрын

@@michellebrouellette Yes, and she came with 4000 pounds, if I remember correctly, 3000 more than her daughters will receive.

@ShadeandShadow4ever 2 жыл бұрын

I told a boy my grandfather was a doctor in the army (I don't remember how it came up) and knew the king, and he one upped me saying his uncle was a general and knew the king. Like dang, I guess everyone has a general or doctor or someone who knew the king in their family. Crazy how there's a judgment for everyone. Such is the fate of those who are not rich, and especially, apparently, of the ones who are! What I am saying is that it amazes me how much bragging and one upping there is if you are young and dealing with non dirt-poor people. I am personally impressed if your uncle is a lawyer. That being said some educated and well to do people are monsters and really do look down on others.

@fatimaachebly1279 2 жыл бұрын

Ooh you should make a video about the American heiresses that married into the British nobility!

@mamadeb1963 2 жыл бұрын

I was thinking about the late Mrs. William Elliot. Mr. Elliott married her because she was wealthy, so he would have money to spend. She also happened to be beautiful and well-educated. But her father was apparently in a less respectable line of trade, and she was described as "very low." So low, in fact, that she drove Mr. Elliott down - not even his closest friends, such as the Smiths, could remain acquainted with him while she lived. There's so much going on there.

@aislingyngaio 2 жыл бұрын

lol no, the Smiths were very close to Mrs Elliot at first. They only ceased their intimacy when Mr Smith couldn't keep up with Mr Elliot's extravagant new lifestyle and Mr Elliot found his friend's new penury an embarassment.

@MillyMayy 2 жыл бұрын

Although slightly pre-Regency Era - marrying "too far" above is very well portrayed in the book/TV series 'Poldark'. I'd highly recommend a read/watch (I'd recommend the 2015 version), particularly to any non UK viewers who haven't heard of it before! You'll love it! 😊

@alannaloewen6551 2 жыл бұрын

After watching this video, all I want if for you to do a deep dive into vanity fair and how that book presents social mobility!

@EllieDashwood 2 жыл бұрын

That is a great idea! Thank you!

@seventhsheaven 2 жыл бұрын

Speaking of Mrs Elton, what do you think of the theory that she was actually a con artist who didn’t really have a sister at Maple Grove and probably had a lot less money than was originally thought? She always changes the subject when Jane Fairfax talks about MG, and the way she describes the place as looking just like Emma’s house and grounds is improbable to say the least.

@EH23831 2 жыл бұрын

I’d never thought of that! But it fits...😁

@Sillyalways 2 жыл бұрын

I don't think she was a con artist. First, I am sure Elton wouldn't have married her without her dowry, and these things had to be formalized at some point, I think unlikely he would go so far without making sure she had that money. I am sure Mrs. Elton was a social climber, with her own money from family trade, what she needed was a man in a respectable, gentlemanly profession such as the church, to cement her claim to gentility. As the wife of a gentleman she can claim she is a lady. Also, despite the church being a gentleman's profession, it did not bring a lot of money, so I am sure marrying rich was of extreme importance to Mr.Elton.

@BoninBrighton 2 жыл бұрын

Maple Grove being near Bristol represented slave trade money…. Jane Austen was supportive of abolition it’s why she have Mrs Norris the name of a defender of slavery

@whyamidoingthis5236 2 жыл бұрын

@@BoninBrighton Mrs Elton gets very defensive when Jane refers to governess trade as human trading, saying that her family were "always friends of the abolition"

@laurelanne5071 2 жыл бұрын

It seems that the Gardiner family was already transitioning to the upper class in P&P. Supposing Mr. Gardiner's father was in roughly the same situation, of the 3 children we know of, 2 have married into the upper class: Mrs. Bennet by snagging a landed gentleman, and her sister marrying a lawyer, one of the gentile professions.

@edithengel2284 5 ай бұрын

Mr. Philips would not have been considered upper class. Lawyers, with some exceptions, were viewed as a kind of tradesman. I think it would be interesting to know more about Mrs. Gardiner's background. She is a perfect lady.

@AUniqueHandleName444 2 жыл бұрын

This is really interesting, as a man who grew up poor, became very successful, and dated a super rich European girl for a few months; I definitely saw signs of this kind of thing still happening. I doubtless embarrassed her as well, haha. Something about the way I ate with one hand marked me as not being part of her social class, she told me.

@veronikavolhejnova5036 2 жыл бұрын

That's not a matter of social class. Here in Europe all kids are taught to eat with fork and knife, and we find the American custom of cutting the food all at once and then eating only with fork funny to say the least (and a bit uncough). I think that this is more a cultural than class difference. I have no doubt that many of our European customs make Americans laugh, too.

@FOLIPE 2 жыл бұрын

@@veronikavolhejnova5036 Americans do that?!

@veronikavolhejnova5036 2 жыл бұрын

@@FOLIPE Don't know how many, but I met several who do, and they said it's normal.

@NemisCassander 2 жыл бұрын

@Anni Runaway I do, but I'm left-handed. What I remember of my etiquette lessons is that American eating etiquette is actually more involved than the European etiquette, because it was a subtle oneupmanship. But no one really uses it outside of high events that almost never happen.

@memorex202 2 жыл бұрын

@@veronikavolhejnova5036 It's not considered polite to cut all our food all at once in the US. it's considered polite to cut one piece at a time, with the fork in our left hand and the knife in our right hand. Then we lay the knife down on the plate, transfer the fork to our right hand, and eat the one cut piece with perhaps some veggies, etc, but only with our right hand. Then we pick up the knife again to cut the next piece, with the fork going back to our left hand. To eat with both knife and fork in hand is considered uncouth to us. :) We wouldn't say anything, but we'd secretly think they had been raised in a barn. lol

@user-zo4ig4xx5n 2 жыл бұрын

I suppose that if I were a rich heiress aiming to marry up I would be constantly worried that my husband would only marry me because of my money and have no real affection for me. Maybe I would be better off remaining single and live off the interest of my fortune.

@eggnogalcoholic 2 жыл бұрын

0:07 This is the video I’ve been waiting for. I will send a link to my boyfriend to make my intentions clear. His last name is literally Gentry!

@EllieDashwood 2 жыл бұрын

😂😂😂 He definitely needs to watch this and immediately propose while you take a scenic walk through the English countryside.

@eggnogalcoholic 2 жыл бұрын

@@EllieDashwood yes oh my goodness yesss!!! He bought the right actually, it’s Art Deco!

@chloemakesvideos3889 2 жыл бұрын

Love your videos! I read Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice many years ago when I was in secondary school. It's an ESL class so a lot of details were skipped in the book. I learned a lot more from your videos and noticed how much there is behind the scenes!

@EllieDashwood 2 жыл бұрын

Yay! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the videos! 😃😃😃

@adeepdive77 2 жыл бұрын

If you're looking at a novel about this, I would recommend The Civil Contract by Georgette Heyer, which is step by step about this.

@siramea 2 жыл бұрын

love Georgette Heyer, I have just started this book

@DipityS 2 жыл бұрын

That was fascinating, thank you. Your discussion now puts a different light on William Elliot's first marriage. I thought her parents were just foolish and carried away by wanting their daughter to marry 'up' because of the idea of it only; but it seems they would have benefited from her marriage with William Elliot's higher connections and perhaps gained financially. I'm not completely sold on Miss Grey wanting Willoughby for his position in society, or at least, not only that - remember what Mrs Jennings said: ".....except that Mrs. Taylor did say this morning, that one day Miss Walker hinted to her, that she believed Mr. and Mrs. Ellison would not be sorry to have Miss Grey married, for she and Mrs. Ellison could never agree." Miss Grey and her guardian's wife didn't get along so she'd have been keen to get her own household. Also because of how she was characterised by Willoughby during his apology for his behaviour to Elinor - when he describes Miss Grey as coyly pretending to be play acting when asking to see his pocketbook so she can go through his things and then find Marianne's letters - which left me with the idea she knew full well of what she would find. Her behaviour during that scene put me in mind of many jealous people going through their partner's phone - I think that's plain jealously. One more thing though, is that Willoughby had already seduced two young women - one to her ruin - and was a charming fellow, and fully capable of working on another young woman solely for her money. So Eliza was lust; Miss Grey was greed, and Marianne was love.

@deanmcmanis9398 2 жыл бұрын

I believe that there was some sort of coveted advantage that Venetian glassblowers had that allowed their daughters to move past their family's trade status and attract men in the upper class. Another slightly later example was in The Buccaneers by Edith Wharton, where the daughters of American railroad, oil, steel, and shipping tycoons traded piles of "new" money for European titles and status through marriage. This backstory plot line was recently used in Downton Abbey to show how Cora could move up-class to become Lady Grantham.

@yarnmoods 5 ай бұрын

I married up in todays class system and it’s kind of stressful. Luckily his family are nice but the “fitting in” and expectations are like speaking a foreign language. It can be done but it will never be comfortable and automatic.

@thequizzicalreader141 2 жыл бұрын

You have become one have my favorite KZfaq channels, I have learned so much and I appreciate the books so much more. I read Emma I while ago and I really enjoyed it, next I plan on reading Sense and Sensibility

@susanrobertson984 2 жыл бұрын

As I recall a large part of S&S is all about how people manage their social climbing so there are loooong sections describing how someone met this group who introduced them to that group etc. Lucy Steele had some work to do in particular.

@EllieDashwood 2 жыл бұрын

Yay! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the videos! 😃 And I hope you love Sense and Sensibility!

@elistzubiful 2 жыл бұрын

I always learn something, thank you. It's like you're telling me a story or a tutorial, I enjoy listening while drawing, even more so than listening to music.

@pamelagross9959 2 жыл бұрын

Ellie, I enjoy all of your videos but this one was awesome! You explained so many things (like Miss Grey’s attraction to Willoughby) that now make perfect sense. I’ve read all the books a few times and each time I feel like I understand the culture so much better thanks to you. Keep being awesome! 💗

@BeckyMarshallDesign 2 жыл бұрын

17:50 is the best part of any video of yours I’ve seen yet. You are so funny and critical but you always make fun so reasonably and in service of educating us.

@michaellaslight423 2 жыл бұрын

I’ve been watching your videos all day, and I’m happy to say I’m subscribed now and will be watching all of them😂❤️ I love history and this channel is basically perfect for me!

@Kasamira 2 жыл бұрын

I really enjoyed this video! You’re a wonderful resource when I’m doing research, seeing the sources in your description, is so incredibly useful. I’d love if you did a video on your favorite nonfiction history books :)

@HattieMcDanielonaMoon 2 жыл бұрын

I'm so happy that your channel is finally getting the views it deserves

@gordon5004 2 жыл бұрын

Your videos brighten and lighten my day. Thank you.

@heidil851 Жыл бұрын

I've just found your channel. I'm not sure if you're a PhD student or just a hobby researcher but so much time and effort must go into making these videos so kudos to you, they are really well done!

@priyam8372 10 ай бұрын

Oh your videos were really well researched and informative! I miss these type of content

@columbiakid2005 Жыл бұрын

I loved your comment how all of the regency upper class would like this page. Made me chortle. Your videos are amazing! Thank you

@notaperfectsoldier 2 жыл бұрын

So grateful to you for creating this channel!

@EllieDashwood 2 жыл бұрын

Aw! I’m grateful to you for watching! 😃

@jenniferz.1254 2 жыл бұрын

Omg I always zone out when other youtubers remind me to like their videos, but your methods have an 100% success rate on me. Lol. Definitely smashed that like button ASAP.

@manners-maketh 2 жыл бұрын

Truth be told the Bennets outranked the Bingleys. His family was in trade. He was marrying up.

@EmmaThw 2 жыл бұрын

Your channel is my new favorite channel! I started reading Pride and Prejudice when I was fairly young, but I didn't finish it because it was too hard to read for me at the time. Then when Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was announced I thought "wtf is that" so I bought the book and read it in less than a day. Of course, this meant I had to immediately read Pride and Prejudice (which I did) and by the end of the week I had watched every adaptation I could find and re-read parts of the book. Your channel is just making me want to re-live that week again, I might settle for re-reading Pride and Prejudice and maybe Emma (my second favorite). It's also nice to understand the everyday lives of people in that era a little better, I'm hoping that I'll understand the issues a little more next time I read Jane Austen's work thanks to your channel!

@godlesslippillow 2 жыл бұрын

Suggestion for shorts, read a few lines of classic literature to your cat…. While petting them… or playing with them. More Cat please

@EllieDashwood 2 жыл бұрын

😂😂😂😂 My cat would love that!

@lesliewalden287 2 жыл бұрын

I often read to my cat and he never fails to give his opinions on the day’s text. Cats! 😹

@prairieN 2 жыл бұрын

I have an ancestor who married down, way down. She left a title and a castle to marry a sailor turned farmer, and family lore claims scandal. I wonder how many married ‘down’ and chose someone kind over someone ‘suitable’.

@bunnychan22 2 жыл бұрын

I like what you're doing since history is not just about major things done but it's also about the culture of the time and how that functioned for the people that lived then.

@andreavalle3987 2 жыл бұрын

just wanted to say that your makeup and eyebrows look flawless

@ardensvirens 2 жыл бұрын

Great job, Ellie! This will come in handy when I get my time machine working again! 😁😂

@EllieDashwood 2 жыл бұрын

I’m so sorry to hear about your time machine! I hope you get it fixed soon. At least you can use this time to stock up on essential information to use on your next trip. 🤔😂

@christina1wilson 2 жыл бұрын

Of course when it was fixed, we will want a report.

@ardensvirens 2 жыл бұрын

@@christina1wilson Just came back. Tried to land a gal and move up, but I was too American Backwoods for them apparently. I suggested to them, tho, (as a token of good will), to invest in Apple as it will “big” someday. They were very perplexed and asked if my father was a grocer of some sort. Mission: FAILED.

@jaimicottrill2831 2 жыл бұрын

If you’ve never seen the movie Gosford Park it definitely has some of the marrying down you talked about! It’s 1930’s England but there is a women whose father owned factories and she married The Honorable so and so. The other guests look down on her for it, ( as does her jackass of a husband). It’s a fab movie and cast, I highly recommend it!

@wanderingteacup39 2 жыл бұрын

This was so interesting. It made me rethink how in North and South, John Thornton is working on his education by learning literature from Margaret Hale’s father to improve himself. He’s very wealthy, but he can see his factories from his windows and so is bettering himself by improving his education. It also made me think of the line in A Little Princess (the book, not the movie) when they say although Sara’s father was in trade he was not only fabulously wealthy but it was from diamond mines, and it’s even commented that the allure of it being diamonds made one willing to overlook that it was from trade.

@mrsnatural2368 2 жыл бұрын

So what I'm hearing is "Get mega rich and then ignore the shit out of the upper class, they're all elitist snobs anyway"

@theresashult2754 2 жыл бұрын

Very interesting! When you were discussing lower middle class ladies aspiring to wed upper class gentlemen and just embarrassing themselves I was reminded of "My Fair Lady". I know this isn't Regency era but Eliza Doolittle is still lower class trying to learn to fit into upper class society - with the help of the irreverent Henry Higgins.

@loiswells3062 2 жыл бұрын

Eliza's ambition was to become a shop assistant, so she could rise above being a street seller of flowers--and have a room of her own to stay warm in!

@ilym7017 2 жыл бұрын

I love your videos! This is great!

@SF-ru3lp 5 ай бұрын

I love your videos, Ellie. I love respectful, duscreet elegance if dress and speech! You have a great surname for this content, Ms. Dashwood! XG Ire

@eitherangel 2 жыл бұрын

Here is a suggestion for future vidoes of the Regency Era; Mistresses and Social climbers. You mention in the video it was very difficult (almost impossible.) for a woman from the lower middleclass and working class to marry up in the society, but there are few exceptions. Like Rebecca Sharp from Vanity Fair and Lady Emma Hamilton (Mistress of Lord Nelson.) It would be nice if you make a videos about these women.

@kendalljennings3417 2 жыл бұрын

Seconded!

@whatevergoesforme5129 2 жыл бұрын

Even though we are more free and more upwardly mobile now, we basically still have those social rankings. We know when someone is upper class just looking at their schools, hobbies, interests, manner of talking and behaving, etc. It can't be helped. That is how humans are and we tend to move within our own circle and it is hard to penetrate the upper class unless you earn a lot of money but even then, the old rich look down on the nouveau riche but the former just don't show it because they are not supposed to be vulgar but classy and dignified :) EDIT: And even now, when a woman marries too high up, she is called a gold digger (even if she has some money like with famous actresses). And for the men, the same thing applies. And if you marry below your social status, you are also looked down upon. Just shows that only civil liberties have changed but social expectations have more or less remained the same.

@Qrtuop 5 ай бұрын

That is not how humans are, that is a class system developed so that few control private property and most have to slave their whole lives to keep the rich rich.

@wilda348 2 жыл бұрын

Great video as usual! Please do make video about fundamental beauty routines in regency era/beauty routines that jane austen's characters most probably take!

@EllieDashwood 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! That’s a great video idea!

@caiteliza11 2 жыл бұрын

How does everyone know how much everyone else is worth? I assumed talking about your wealth was in poor taste back then. But at the same time, it seemed like you wanted people to know so they regarded you highly. Was there a protocol for disclosing but not disclosing that info?

@kellyengland 2 жыл бұрын

Good question

@raraavis7782 2 жыл бұрын

I wanne know, too. They always seemed to have pretty accurate numbers, not just rough estimates. Maybe tax records were public?

@angelasmith5019 2 жыл бұрын

I think there were some type of who is who books, mostly about ancestry of cpurse, but they obviously mention the house belonging to the title. Maybe they list the size of the lands as well?

@funkyfranx 2 жыл бұрын

Often servants would gossip and brag about how much their masters earned as well. I don't thin it was easy keeping secrets in this era.

@christina1wilson 2 жыл бұрын

I would assume it was more done by show. Be seen at the right places, wear the right clothes, go to the opera, finagle an introduction to the right people. (Save the right person from drowning).

@voxfugit 2 жыл бұрын

One for the algorithm. I do love your videos!

@Daphattack 2 жыл бұрын

New sub here. Love your videos! I would love your take on one of my favorite books ever: Vanity Fair. I think its so interesting how Becky Sharp has gone from Villain to Heroine (or anti-heroine?) as the modern sensibility has grown to admire her moxie rather than have her be the: what not to do. Your videos are so great when it comes to understanding why they other (specially the men) hated Becky so much for trying to change her circumstances.

@fanirivers4505 2 жыл бұрын

Tk u 4 explaining so clearly, some things haven't changed much.

@EllieDashwood 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for watching! And yeah, some things never change. 😂

@Jill-jb1jg 2 жыл бұрын

Entertaining and very interesting. Thank you.

@kuroneko5390 2 жыл бұрын

Well, I'd say it would depend on my options. Like if I had the option to merry up and the guy doesn't seem violent or something like that I'd merry up. If I would have any say in the matter.

@EllieDashwood 2 жыл бұрын

That’s such a good consideration! What is this guys temperament? 🤔

@raraavis7782 2 жыл бұрын

I gotta say...I rather agree with the book, you quoted from. I do believe, marrying out of your class, would probably have set you up for lots of unpleasant situations and being treated with condescension by others. Don't know, if it would have been worth it in a time, where socializing with a rather limited number of acquaintances and books/instruments were your only form of entertainment. You would have basically experienced the equivalent to fat/ugly shaming today and we all know, what that does to people.

@FOLIPE 2 жыл бұрын

But your children would be born in a higher class which would be a huge plus as the family status was significant.

@markharris5107 2 жыл бұрын

Good point. Americans think differently, since people who are wealthier are expected to make accommodations for others, and welcome them without looking down their nose at them. Most American wealth (outside the old East Coast families) was gained relatively recently anyway, so fewer people have a long heritage of wealth, and we instinctively don't like class barriers. But in that era in England, the social pressures and barriers were just too great. You would be a high-school basketball player stepping onto an NBA court. You simply don't have the ability to fit in, and everybody sees. it.

@funkyfemsel2112 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for another cool video!

@brianquinn804 2 жыл бұрын

I love your channel!

@scribbly2983 2 жыл бұрын

I think it might be interesting to have a video on officers and buying a commission and how that played into these social considerations. What's Wickham's class level?

@EH23831 2 жыл бұрын

I would think he’s middle class at most - his father worked for the elder Mr Darcy. Regency Austen readers would have understood that he did very well (socially speaking) by the end of the novel - and that would’ve been galling to them...

@funkyfranx 2 жыл бұрын

Army officers were considered gentry in the same way the clergy were, despite not being landowners. They were expected to live like gentlemen as well, despite earning a pittance.

@andreabartels3176 2 жыл бұрын

Not necessarily. Mr Wickham the elder was steward to Mr Darcy the elder. That was often an occupation for younger sons in the upper class. Or an occupation for an retired officer. But certainly with connections to the upper class. Like Bertie Pelham in Downton Abbey. His second? cousin, the marquess, is rarely at home, Bertie takes care of the running of the estate.

@lauranichols945 2 жыл бұрын

Militia officers didn’t have to buy a commission.

@naomismith1241 7 ай бұрын

Wickam bought an ensign position at 23, that would traditionally be filled by 16 year olds. It does show his lack of money.

@ah5721 2 жыл бұрын

I was not taught etiquette or manners by my birth parents but by well meaning friends and mentors being a working poor class. However when I was adopted by a middle class family and had to learn how to be more tactful and polite it was hard to undo 16 years . I've taken a etiquette course and now work in an upper middle class area. trying to make more money so my children can go to better schools and teaching them etiquette so they can blend in with higher status people and rise higher than me.

@savahbejin7511 2 жыл бұрын

Love hearing your information. We still have a debutante ball where I live and the girls follow some of these same restrictions.

@anissaferringer4965 2 жыл бұрын

I just started reading Middlemarch, and this made me think of Miss Vincy and the remark that she's over educated and all her accomplishments will be wasted when she marries a man of her own station. She, of course, thinks she will marry up--snd I can't wait to see how it unfolds!

@amybee40 2 жыл бұрын

One of my favorite books ever! Enjoy!

@ruth7841 2 жыл бұрын

I just found your channel, love your content! :D

@jaymorris2458 Жыл бұрын

You don't mention Charlotte Lucas ...her father had been a shop keeper before being elevated to a peerage and became Sir William Lucas. The Bingley sisters sneered, but it didn't stop Mr Collins from marrying her. This improved Mariah Lucas's chances of marrying into a better class than she had been born into.

@dwilborn1257 2 жыл бұрын

So when Emma was trying to marry Harriet to Mr. Elton, Mr. Knightley was pointing out how her lack of connections would be too great for Elton to accept. And even Emma thought that Harriet was not good enough for Mr. Knightley (putting aside her feelings on the matter),

@StarryEyed0590 2 жыл бұрын

Harriet, of course, has the added hurdle of having NO family connections and the assumption that she is an illegitimate child. Emma, a romantic snob, sees Harriet being a "lady by blood" without legitimacy, as better than being a respectable member of the middle class, but pragmatic, clear-sighted Mr. Knightley sees differently

@mariesoret7915 2 ай бұрын

Hi ! love your videos :) I've watched a few of them on the topic of classes and spheres and I think you mentioned at some point that Mrs Bennet married up ? from what Jane Austen tell us in the book it seemed like she had beauty and money but not the manners of the sphere Mr Bennet brought her up to; i'd love to hear your take on this match ! Also, on another note, it is very interesting to see that a lot of the quotes from Letter to a young lady are echoed in what Lady Catherine said to Elizabeth when she tried to intimidate her into not marrying Darcy.

@missanne2908 2 жыл бұрын

This reminds me of Gosford Park, where Freddie Nesbitt is ashamed of his wife Mabel. Freddie, who married for money the daughter of a glove manufacturer, has run through his wife's dowry and is irked that she doesn't have the breeding to fit in with a weekend shooting party.

@bernadmanny 2 жыл бұрын

Gosford Park is one of my favourites, good to see someone else remembers it.

@maigretus1 2 жыл бұрын

Never read the book, but based on your description, I'd wonder what Mabel thinks of Freddie. After all, she's played her part in providing her money, which he has "run through," and despite her being the only reason (I assume) he was able to maintain his lifestyle for as long as he did, he's ashamed of her. Not to mention that, having run through her dowry, he is not threatening to drag her down with him.

@lipglossed 2 жыл бұрын

Great information and video! One thing I had never thought about is Bingley's fortune being from trade and would mean his sisters would also be from a "trade family" technically.

@mikespangler98 2 жыл бұрын

16:25. Basically the plot line of Evelina. And this makes me appreciate even more the uphill battle Lucy Steele had to fight.

@EH23831 2 жыл бұрын

Yes - also Becky Sharp in Vanity Fair

@michaelhandy4018 2 жыл бұрын

There's a couple of other ways to marry up. One is the slow path through buying a coat of arms and climbing over a couple of generations from the wealthy yeomanry into the gentry until you can marry up via a younger daughter of a neighbour. (Shakespeare tried this path but his family didn't last long enough to really be gentry) One open to all classes that lack a sense of propriety is to be an actress, get the manners via stage training, become so wildly popular that scandal is almost a positive, and run off with a besotted Duke (like Lavinia Fenton who originated Polly in the Beggars Opera, though admittedly she didn't marry him until his wife passed away.)

@stannieholt8766 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the helpful overview. It reminds me of W.H. Auden's 1936 poem "Letter to Lord Byron," in which he says of Austen's novels: It makes me uncomfortable to see An English spinster of the middle class Describe the amorous effects of `brass', Reveal so frankly and with such sobriety The economic basis of society.

@colbymcarthur7871 2 жыл бұрын

That was such a smooth way to get my like that I’m even going to comment

@EllieDashwood 2 жыл бұрын

Awww!!!! Thank you!

@karaamundson3964 2 жыл бұрын

btw---everyone hears, says, writes, misquotes "to the *'MANNER'* born" vs the correct "to the *manor,* e.g. exalted place, born. so glad you created a differentiate!!