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A non-fiction book dedicated to deciphering 19th century novels.
Some of this book is really dull, but some of it--like the bit about how they ran the poorhouses to discourage people from using them--is quite interesting. I wish there had been more information on the day-to-day life of the lower classes, but of course not many novels dealt with that aspect.
However, the fanatical disdain for hard work I keep running into in older books is explained here. Apparently, if you did any physical labor you were looked down upon. The highest classes, of course, never did any real work at all.
It took me a long time to finish this book, as I kept falling asleep.
Some of this book is really dull, but some of it--like the bit about how they ran the poorhouses to discourage people from using them--is quite interesting. I wish there had been more information on the day-to-day life of the lower classes, but of course not many novels dealt with that aspect.
However, the fanatical disdain for hard work I keep running into in older books is explained here. Apparently, if you did any physical labor you were looked down upon. The highest classes, of course, never did any real work at all.
It took me a long time to finish this book, as I kept falling asleep.
