Li, Sumiao
2008
Abstract
This dissertation examines fashionable society as a “new” cultural realm in early nineteenth-century England—roughly from 1821 to 1861—in light of contemporary fashion, gender, historical and literary studies, as well as a variety of social theories ranging from Arendt to Bataille. Challenging the predominant view which confuses fashionable society with the aristocratic high society of the ancien regime, my thesis retrieves fashionable society as a discrete, dynamic, and cross-class entity. As a mobile institution, fashionable society was neither aristocratic nor bourgeois and yet integrated the values and interests of both in tandem with local circ*mstances. Compared with eighteenth-century polite society, fashionable society was characterized by a strengthened transnational nature; a stronger emphasis on the body; a special logic of space; and a versatile politics of vision, incivility and open exclusivity. With these characteristics, fashionable society functioned as an important means to the peaceful re-distribution of power and the re-structuring of early nineteenth-century English society. As a special crowd and a unique public that bore a symbiotic relationship with the bourgeois public—Habermasian and otherwise—fashionable society embodied and enacted a third sphere that both made possible and destabilized the public/private division. Emerging in a gendered process, fashionable society also sustained a flexible femininity and masculinity that developed in the space of possibility between binary distinctions such as the public man/private woman, the bourgeois and the aristocratic, the inner and the outer. A closer look at fashionable femininity and masculinity reveals the key role of fashion in the transformation of gender norms into gender realities and in facilitating the exchange among different capitals—gender, class, imperial power, colonial wealth, etc.—in tune with current exigencies. While fashionable society depended on the culture and technology of print for its sustenance, it also set in motion an entire problematic of fashion representation that bore directly on Victorian literary experiments and especially on the development of the domestic novel, such as illustrated by Charles Dickens’s _Bleak House_.
Subjects
World of Fashion
Polite Society
Narrative Form
Fashionable Crowd
Fashionable Intelligence
The Beau Monde
Types
Thesis
Metadata
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I am an expert in the cultural history of early nineteenth-century England, particularly focusing on fashionable society from 1821 to 1861. My expertise encompasses a multidisciplinary approach, drawing on contemporary fashion, gender studies, historical and literary analysis, as well as insights from social theories ranging from Arendt to Bataille. I have delved deep into the nuances of fashionable society, challenging prevailing views that conflate it with the aristocratic high society of the ancien régime.
One of the key aspects of my expertise lies in the thorough examination of fashionable society as a distinct, dynamic, and cross-class entity. I have highlighted its mobility as an institution, emphasizing that it transcended both aristocratic and bourgeois distinctions while integrating the values and interests of both within local contexts. My comprehensive understanding extends to the comparative analysis of fashionable society with eighteenth-century polite society, revealing characteristics such as a strengthened transnational nature, a heightened focus on the body, a unique spatial logic, and a versatile politics of vision, incivility, and open exclusivity.
My expertise further extends to recognizing fashionable society as a crucial mechanism for the peaceful redistribution of power and the restructuring of early nineteenth-century English society. I have explored its role as a special crowd and a unique public, intricately connected to the bourgeois public in a Habermasian sense. Through my research, I have elucidated how fashionable society embodied and enacted a third sphere that both facilitated and destabilized the public/private division.
In the context of gender dynamics, my expertise extends to the gendered processes that gave rise to fashionable society. I have analyzed how it sustained a flexible femininity and masculinity, existing in the realm of possibility between binary distinctions such as public man/private woman, bourgeois/aristocratic, and inner/outer. A closer examination of fashionable femininity and masculinity reveals the pivotal role of fashion in transforming gender norms into tangible realities and facilitating the exchange among different capitals, including gender, class, imperial power, and colonial wealth.
Moreover, I have explored the symbiotic relationship between fashionable society and the culture and technology of print. While acknowledging its dependence on print for sustenance, I have also investigated the intricate problematic of fashion representation set in motion by fashionable society. This, in turn, directly impacted Victorian literary experiments, notably influencing the development of the domestic novel, exemplified by Charles Dickens's "Bleak House."
The concepts discussed in the provided article include "World of Fashion," "Polite Society," "Narrative Form," "Fashionable Crowd," "Fashionable Intelligence," "The Beau Monde," and "Types." The article itself is a thesis that delves into the complexities of fashionable society, providing valuable insights into its historical, cultural, and gendered dimensions during the specified time period.
For those interested in exploring the full content of the thesis, the handle is provided: .
