The Curious Lady’s Guide to Marriage (1811-1820)
From Pretty Interesting History comes its latest release, The Curious Lady’s Guide to Marriage. Encompassing 1811 – 1820, this guide has everything to prepare young ladies for success within their future well-bred Irish circles. Expectations for the female sex are high, and the modern lady will be able to read the latest (sometimes scandalous) reports about infamous women, popular novels, and social trends. Along with hand-inserted newspaper cuttings, letters, and wildflowers, this guide shares intimate details about getting engaged, being married, and spinster life.
The style and narrative construction are delightfully mischievous. Each page is a well-choreographed dance of art, prose, and historical flourish. That said, I did spot editorial errors including missing periods, duplicate words, and misspelled words. Additionally, as pages are over 8 x 11 inches, the typeface is surprisingly small and somewhat hard to read. For some, I fear this may detract from the book’s overall artistry.
Despite these flaws, this is a unique, well-researched work that will engage readers both aesthetically and narratively, especially those who may find history a bit (*gasp of horror*) boring. Each page feels like a featured article plucked straight out of an 1800s fashion magazine. The pressures and expectations governing a young lady’s behavior are presented in a blunt but whimsical way, because these archaic sensibilities about “a woman’s place” are so shocking, they need to be laughed at (versus the alternative). I adore Pretty Interesting History’s concept of bringing to light the domestic life of women in an original and engaging way. You can discover more at prettyinterestinghistory.com.
