Fans, Flowers, and Faithfully Yours: Language and Communication in the Victorian Era – May ’25
$20.00 – $30.00
Instructor: Eden Lackner
Start Date: Monday, May 5, 2025
End Date: Friday, May 30, 2025
Type: Online
Duration: 4 Weeks
USD Fee: $20 HHRW Members/$30 Non-Members
A blushing cheek hidden behind a fan; a bouquet of flowers blooming with hidden meaning; a carefully penned missive sealed with a bit of wax: From fans and flowers to correspondence and conversation, the Victorians were masters of messaging, and had a whole host of rules and rituals to govern their social lives. Join us as we explore language and communication in the nineteenth century. We’ll consider the balance between authenticity and anachronisms when writing period pieces; navigate conversations within and across classes and genders; examine the tools that greased social wheels; and dive into the etiquette of love, hate, breaking up and making up. As we wander through the complexities of Victorian communication, we’ll also have multiple opportunities to write our way through the social structures that shaped nineteenth century relationships. Will your characters succeed or fail as you guide them from initial meetings to potential proposals? Let’s find out! Week 1: Setting the Scene:
- The Victorian Reader: The rise of the novel, and the stories that most captured Victorians’ imaginations.
- Tone vs. Atmosphere: Choosing the right approach to give your writing nineteenth century authenticity.
- Structure & Dialogue: How much anachronism is too much? Balancing authenticity with modern reader sensibilities.
Week 2: Initial Meetings:
- Titles/Honorifics: Examining royalty, peerage, and inherited titles; substantive and other earned titles; and courtesy titles.
- Visiting Cards: What they were, and how they fostered relationships.
- Greeting Other People: Public greetings, introductions, and the importance of mutual connections.
Week 3: Building Acquaintanceships:
- The Language of Flowers & Fans: Separating truth from myth, and meaning from marketing.
- Letter Writing: Its importance, including the mechanics of writing, delivery, and response.
- Victorian Cutting & Social Snubbing: Deliberate social snubbing, from how it was enacted to its consequences.
Week 4: Friendships and Romance:
- Meetings Amongst Single Genders vs. Different Genders: Proper etiquette and behaviour in single and mixed company.
- Breakups & Divorce: Legal and social consequences of the dissolution of relationships.
- The Rise of Companionate Marriage: How prioritizing marrying for love changed the landscape of relationships.
