A History of Courtship 800 Years of Seduction Techniques Tania ODonnell 9781781593486 Books
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History of Courtship
A History of Courtship 800 Years of Seduction Techniques Tania ODonnell 9781781593486 Books
This book was a thematic historical look into 800 years of courting techniques and relationships. It goes through many topics including courting, how to propose, and even writing love letters and giving gifts to one’s lover.As the published summary says, “A History of Courtship is an entertaining and enlightening look at seduction over the centuries”.
Right…
So when I saw this book I was so interested. I love rather obscure History and was looking forward to discovering new facts about courtship and relationships through the centuries.
This one is another case of a great idea, but terrible execution.
The first problem was the length. At 176 pages, this book was wayyyy too short for 800 years of courtship. I didn’t even see 800 years of anything. She mostly explored the Victorian ages and then just a bit about every time period before that. And furthermore, a lot of those 176 pages were filled with lengthy and unnecessary quotes or poems that filled pages. It was like the author was writing a college paper and didn’t feel like researching thoroughly, so she decided to bull**** and add lengthy quotes to get pages. Plus, most of the info she wrote about I knew about anyway, as did anyone who read a beginner’s European History or beginner’s Victorian Ages.
The next problem was the organization. Don’t get me wrong, I love teaching and learning history in a thematic or subject based way.
But it didn’t work here.
The themes weren’t organized in any way and holy crap they were all over the place. I would have liked this better if the book were organized chronologically instead. Or if the themes were organized according to what happened in each time period. And if there was way more detail with each theme.
Lastly, I was disappointed to find that this book was only about courtship practice in Europe. I mean that’s cool and I love learning about it, but I would have LOVED to learn about courtship and romance in other cultures and countries.
Overall, a big disappointment.
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A History of Courtship 800 Years of Seduction Techniques Tania ODonnell 9781781593486 Books Reviews
Have you ever wondered why we give flowers to people we like? About the origins of the rhyme ‘Roses are red, violets are blue’? How people in the past dressed to catch the eye? Why the girls in costume dramas always have to have an older lady in tow? Or generally how our forebears went about signalling their intent and making a move? If the answer to these questions is ‘yes’, then Tania O’Donnell’s History of Courtship may be the book for you.
O’Donnell focuses on, mainly British, sometimes American, and certainly Western, courtship, from the development of courtly love in the twelfth century up to (and including) the nineteenth century. The twentieth century is avoided on the basis that its sweeping technological and social changes made courtship a very different game, which is perhaps true, but I would have loved to see the story taken from Tristan and Isolde to the early rock’n’roll which retold their tale so many times.
Nevertheless, A History of Courtship leaps nimbly between periods, from the court poets and troubadours of Europe in the Middle Ages to the dangers of Tudor England, and from the grubby London of the Restoration to the more familiar romantic settings of Regency ballrooms and Victorian studies. The book gives only a superficial sense of how courtship may have changed between these periods but this is understandable given its thematic, rather than chronological, organization. It may even be justified given O’Donnell’s awareness that people themselves change rather less than customs over time and that even some of these have a cyclical existence.
Thematically, A History of Courtship illustrates an impressive range of romantic tropes (love at first sight, childhood sweethearts, kidnapping, elopement, proposal, marriage, scandal) using an equally impressive range of sources (clothing, cosmetics, legislation, letters, songs, poems, plays, diaries, sermons, gifts). The book is well illustrated with apposite selections, which speak to the depth of the author’s immersion in, and the breadth of her knowledge on, her subject. Although this is a slender, accessible volume, these provide something unique the more academic reader can appreciate as readily as the more casual. I found the intricate “lover’s knot” created by a hapless nineteenth century Pennsylvanian Quaker for the unrequiting object of his affections particularly intriguing.
O’Donnell, however, does not concentrate purely on the sweeter side of courtship at the expense of its, sometimes more visceral, reality. Regular readers of this blog will be quite satisfied with the quantities of scandal, prostitution, venereal disease, and ‘Vinegar’ Valentine’s cards in evidence. There is even a lengthy extract from the works of our late patron, John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester. Whilst not entirely alleviating the biases of the more traditional sources, O’Donnell’s approach also helps to draw out some of the leaner evidence on illiterate, poor or gay courtships.
Finally, O’Donnell offers a way of looking at the past that might help shed some light on our own lives. With the benefit of a little perspective, she seems to suggest, perhaps we should not rush to judgement in the present. Certainly, we should be grateful for the relative freedoms we enjoy today and should be cautious of viewing the past through rose-tinted spectacles. Above all, we should celebrate our courtships and not let them end at marriage. Seductive arguments.
Welcome to another Quirky Corner of History! This was such a fun little book to read. Subtitled “800 Years of Seduction Techniques”, this book is a survey of various aspects of courtship through the years. This is not a heavy history tome but a light, easy-to-read, fairly short book. The author takes a look at everything from beauty and seductive items of clothing to tokens of love and chaperones. I was particularly intrigued by how important the length of the point on a man’s shoe could be, and grateful that I have never received a “vinegar valentine”. If you’re looking for something a little different to read or maybe a source of “love” trivia then you need to check this out.
"A History of Courtship" is a survey of courtship practices--mainly from the 1300s to the 1800s in England. The author described how couples met, beauty and clothing fads, acceptable gifts, improper behavior, the role of chaperons, love poems and letters, and areas of conflict after marriage. She also looked at the differences in practices between the rich and the poor. She described some scandals and other unusual stories to illustrate various behaviors. The material came from sources like diaries, guides on things like etiquette or letter writing, and preserved love poems and letters.
Keep in mind that this book isn't meant to be an exhaustive source on courtship, and the subtitle is a bit misleading. It's not about seduction techniques, and she didn't really cover 800 years. Most of the information was from the 1500s to late 1800s. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting and entertaining book.
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
This book was a thematic historical look into 800 years of courting techniques and relationships. It goes through many topics including courting, how to propose, and even writing love letters and giving gifts to one’s lover.
As the published summary says, “A History of Courtship is an entertaining and enlightening look at seduction over the centuries”.
Right…
So when I saw this book I was so interested. I love rather obscure History and was looking forward to discovering new facts about courtship and relationships through the centuries.
This one is another case of a great idea, but terrible execution.
The first problem was the length. At 176 pages, this book was wayyyy too short for 800 years of courtship. I didn’t even see 800 years of anything. She mostly explored the Victorian ages and then just a bit about every time period before that. And furthermore, a lot of those 176 pages were filled with lengthy and unnecessary quotes or poems that filled pages. It was like the author was writing a college paper and didn’t feel like researching thoroughly, so she decided to bull**** and add lengthy quotes to get pages. Plus, most of the info she wrote about I knew about anyway, as did anyone who read a beginner’s European History or beginner’s Victorian Ages.
The next problem was the organization. Don’t get me wrong, I love teaching and learning history in a thematic or subject based way.
But it didn’t work here.
The themes weren’t organized in any way and holy crap they were all over the place. I would have liked this better if the book were organized chronologically instead. Or if the themes were organized according to what happened in each time period. And if there was way more detail with each theme.
Lastly, I was disappointed to find that this book was only about courtship practice in Europe. I mean that’s cool and I love learning about it, but I would have LOVED to learn about courtship and romance in other cultures and countries.
Overall, a big disappointment.
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