Behind the history: English etiquette books and nineteenth century's perceptions of women

Abstract

The Victorian era is a vital period in terms of intellectual and social changes, in addition to the industrial revolution and urbanization. This study aims to analyze nineteenth century English etiquette books and perceptions of women. The main circle of this study is to reveal how women were exposed to gender inequalities during this period. Since the archetype of the perfect women as mothers and wives was idealised through the norms of the society, etiquette books focused on women and feminine issues, their roles were limited to domestic spheres in these books. Besides, it would be necessary to mention the society with discussion of etiquette that played a significant role as it touched many middle class lives. For this reason, different etiquette books were chosen to portray the conditions of women and society.