Brief description
This module will introduce the world of the eighteenth-century English aristocratic elite and middle classes. Though superficially a society characterised by elegance and refinement, in reality the English aristocracy was equally renowned for its vices: for gambling, drinking and debauchery, and it is the contrasts within this world of fashion and politeness that dominate this course. This option will also allow students to look at the intellectual climate of the age, the development of the urban world and the culture of commerce, the changing status of men and women, and how polite culture was reflected in art and literature. Students will be encouraged to think critically about the secondary literature: to appreciate different historians' points of view and examine their strengths and weaknesses. By the end of the course students will be expected to have developed their own views on the nature of polite society in eighteenth century England.