Elite Women and Polite Society in Eighteenth-century Scotland


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Women are shown to have played an important and very visible role in society at the time. Fashionable "polite" society of this period emphasised mixed-gender sociability and encouraged the visible participation of elite women in a series of urban, often public settings. Using a variety of sources (both men's and women's correspondence, accounts, bills, memoirs and other family papers), this book investigates the ways in which polite social practices and expectations influenced the experience of elite femininity in Scotland in the eighteenth century. It explores women's education and upbringing; their reading practices; the meanings of the social spaces and activities in which they engaged and how this fed over into the realm of politics; and the fashion for tourism at home and abroad. It also asks how elite women used polite social spaces and practices to extend their mental horizons and to form a sense of belonging to a public at a time when Scotland was among the most intellectually vibrant societies in Europe.







The Eighteenth Century


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Ayrshire Notes


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Life of Johnson


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Boswell's Life of Johnson


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In Search of a Good Feeling


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Although Boswell Wilkerson has acquaintances and a job he enjoys, teaching at a major university, he knows there is something still lackinga feeling of pleasure and of something good deep inside his soul. He believes he makes great decisions when it comes to saving time or money, even if they dont entirely conform to the norms of society. Then he meets Michelle Waterman. There is something unique about her presence in his life that makes Boswell feel whole, comfortable, and good about himself, even if they dont always see eye to eye. Still, it isnt until they take a trip to the South to meet Michelles family that they learn something new about Boswells pastand thereby discover what a true connection they have. Faced with serious situations and secrets, can Boswell finally find release within himself, let go of all his trepidations, and find happiness? A tale of love, conformity, and comfort between two people, this novel presents the story of a couple reexamining themselves through their past and present relationships.