Shapely Ankle Preferr'd: A History of the Lonely Hearts Ad 1695 - 2010 - Couverture rigide

Beauman, Francesca

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0701181702 ISBN 13 : 9780701181703

Editeur : Chatto & Windus, 2011

Synopsis

What do women look for in a man? And what do men look for in a woman? And how and why has this changed over the centuries? Every week thousands of people advertise for love either in newspapers, magazines or online. But if you think this is a modern phenomenon, think again - the ads have been running for over three hundred years. In 1695, a popular London pamphlet published the brave plea of a young gentleman who 'would willingly Match himself to some Good Young Gentlewoman, that has a Fortune of GBP3000 or thereabouts'. This was just the beginning. In the 1730s, papers carried regular ads in which income or respectability were the most desired qualities, though some asked for a 'shapely ankle' or a 'non-dancer'. By 1900 twenty-five British newspapers were dedicated solely to matrimonial ads. Shapely Ankle Preferr'd tells the story of ads of all kinds - from aristocrats and MPs, bus conductors and nurses, country squires and city swells, and even from a man who had lost a leg 'due to the kick of an Ostrich, in the East Indies'. The reasons are strangely familiar: the size of the city makes it hard to meet people; they're busy at work; they've just returned from abroad.Loneliness is not new. The surprising views of Lord Byron, Charlotte Bronte and George Orwell are revealed, and every ad is a snapshot of its age, from the criminal scams of the 1890s to the sad appeals of widows after the Second World War. In this fascinating book Fancesca Beauman uses newly uncovered evidence to answer crucial questions about how humans choose their mates. The result is a startling history of sex, marriage and society over three centuries - hilarious and heartbreaking by turn.

A propos du livre

Quatrième de couverture :

'Fascinating... An absorbing and intelligent history of the pursuit of love' Daisy Goodwin, Sunday Times

Every week, thousands of people advertise for love in newspapers, magazines or online. But if you think this is a modern phenomenon, think again - the ads have been running for over three hundred years. From the first advertisement in 1695, placed by a young gentleman who 'would willingly Match himself to some Good Young Gentlewoman, that has a Fortune of £3000 or thereabouts' to the GSOH, WLTM and Internet dating of more recent years, each ad is a snapshot of its age. The result is a startling history of dating, marriage and society over three centuries - by turn hilarious and heartbreaking.

'A wonderfully funny, heart-warming history' Sunday Telegraph

'For the majority of their history, Lonely Hearts have been optimistically exacting of would-be inamoratos, demanding that they possess such desirable qualities as elegance, charm and wit. Precisely the same qualities, in other words, as are possessed by this wonderful book' The Times

'A meticulously researched, amusing and poignant study of human nature' Financial Times

'Fascinating, illuminating and thought-provoking' Easy Living

Revue de presse :

"Wonderfully enjoyable" (Craig Brown Mail on Sunday)

"Shapely Ankle Preferr'd is an absorbing and intelligent history of the pursuit of love" (Daisy Goodwin Sunday Times)

"Elegant, witty, wise and utterly delightful" (Christopher Hart Literary Review)

"Shapely Ankle Preferr'd is a perfect little history of the surprisingly long story of those who WLTM" (Melissa Katsoulis Sunday Telegraph)

"This thorough and thoroughly amusing book suggest that what lonely hearts have always needed is a thick skin, a willing heart and, above all, a GSOH" (Arifa Akbar Independent)

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Chatto & Windus
• Date d'édition: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0701181702
• ISBN 13: 9780701181703
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 224