The Duchess: From the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Governess

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The text ends at 67% on the kindle with the remainder of the book made up of footnotes. There are also a ton of fabulous illustrations and copies of paintings. The Riverside Chaucer. Gen. Ed. Larry D. Benson. Oxford: University of Oxford Press. 3rd ed. 1987. Explanatory note p. 976.

The Duchess: A Novel of Wallis - Looks Like Books Review: The Duchess: A Novel of Wallis - Looks Like Books

Begging for a Netflix adaptation, with shades of Jane Austen, Bridgerton and a dash of The Scarlet Letter. Ostler’s book...is fittingly bubbly for the 'ton', or fashionable set.'There have been a number of books on her over the years, the publication of her letters to Lady Elizabeth Foster. In the last 30 years Both Arthur Calder-Marshall and Brian Masters have written good biographies of the Duchess of Devonshire also. If you are looking for further reading on Georgiana, I think Brian Masters book is excellent and still in print. Nevertheless, Georgiana’s family pressed her to continue the campaign, criticising her for breastfeeding her daughter, “Little G”, not for street politics. In fact well-read society women of the time were influenced by Rousseau’s view that breastfeeding was preferable to having a wet-nurse. Georgiana’s action was part of her Enlightenment philosophy, but the film uses it to make a different point, from current feminist perspectives. Terrifically entertaining: if you liked Bridgerton, you’ll love this...and her research is impeccable' Evening Standard Reading like an historical novel, this was a refreshing account more about the women who changed the Whig party than the aforementioned English tabloid scandal. An account of an inspiring, head-strong woman, forced into an unloving marriage, and given everything, but in reality, had nothing. Georgiana’s acquaintances were very different. They included titled ladies who sold their bodies to pay off their gambling debts, or to promote their husbands’ political careers. Others quietly disappeared abroad to give birth to illegitimate children—or adopted those of their husbands. Georgiana was in fact herself to do both of these. In the 18th century, a noblewoman was free to do largely as she pleased, once she had produced an heir.

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As she grows a little more mature she discovers twin passions - fashion and politics, which being a woman, she can only comment on, not vote or act herself. Combining those into a glittering salon for the wealthy, well-connected and appreciative gives her a measure of fulfillment. Not just fulfillment but solace too as her cold husband adds disdain to his list of unlovely qualities when she produces two daughters and no sons. In time she does have a son, this gains her a monetary reward from the Duke, as if she needed it. Do you prefer to listen to your books rather than read them? A lot of people do. It’s great to be able to listen while you’re driving, taking public transportation, maybe while you’re working out, or even perhaps while you’re cooking! An entertaining biography. Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire, was charming, intelligent and creative; she was the leader of high society in late 18th-century London; she was an author and an amateur scientist. She was also a key figure in the Whig political party. She broke new ground for the participation of women in politics (much of which would be lost in the Victorian age) and also for the use of personal celebrity to advance a political cause. The author’s doctoral thesis was on Georgiana’s political life. In a way, this biography is a tale of decadence and excess, and this was the slant taken when rewriting it as a script, for the film “The Duchess”. The film hypes it up, creating scenes of great palladian houses, public celebrity and female flamboyance. The camera lovingly dwells on the rustling pastel silks, gorgeous gowns with glittering flashes of diamonds, plate, carriages, and lavish dinners. There is a constant entourage of footmen and servants, wild parties, love and sexual intrigue—and just a nod to party politics.Watson, Robert A. "Dialogue and Invention in the Book of the Duchess (philosophical interpretation of Geoffrey Chaucer's work) (Critical Essay)." Modern Philology 98.4 (May 2001): 543. A masterclass in biography. Ostler brings her protagonist to life with dazzling prose, meticulous research and unique human sensibility. An immersive, glamorous odyssey stretching from rural England to the glittering palaces of St Petersburg, The D uchess Countess is a technicolour portrait of one of history’s most dynamic, but least understood heroines. An instant classic.’ The Duchess". Film Ireland. Archived from the original on 22 December 2008 . Retrieved 8 September 2008. William was very reserved, preoccupied with his dogs and his desire for a male heir, and was not keen to socialise; Georgiana soon grew tired of him and immersed herself in the fashion world. The true love of her life was the handsome young Whig politician Charles Grey, whom she had an affair with in 1791, before finding out she was carrying his child.

The Duchess: From the Sunday Times bestselling author of The

A pretty girl from a titled, extremely wealthy family is sold off to an older man with an even more aristocratic title and loads more money as a brood mare. She is told he loves her, what 17 year-old wouldn't believe that? It isn't true, he just wants a mother for his future son and heir. Directed by Saul Dibb, the film won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, and was nominated for Best Art Direction. The film remains narrow in its focus, with no wider perspective on the historical era. It begins with the moment when Georgiana receives the marriage proposal, and ends with her return to the Duke after the end of her affair with Charles Grey and the birth of their illegitimate daughter. Charles Grey is portrayed as the only other person with whom Georgiana has a sexual relationship, and the portrayal of her relationship with Bess is coy, making Bess merely her confidante, to whom she tells intimate secrets. Keira Knightley did her best with the script, but was forced to portray Georgiana as a doe-eyed victim; a misunderstood woman. Her passionate devotion to the Whig cause was presented as a trivial diversion. The film barely mentions Georgiana’s part in the Westminster election of 1784. Yet in reality, this was the most notorious public episode of her life. Georgiana canvassed the streets for the Whig candidate, Charles James Fox, and was pilloried by the press for her efforts. He was not a relative, nor was his constituency a family borough, yet Georgiana was willing to bring a torrent of abuse on herself. She became the first woman to appear on political platforms, and famously traded kisses for votes on the hustings: Assumptions: Foreman writes, that biographers have a tendency to fall in love with their subjects, which makes them assume things about them that might not be true, simply because they want them to be true. Sadly, I felt like Foreman herself fell into this trap a few times. Like saying that the Duke of Devonshire had no intention of hurting Georgiana. That may very well be true, but where is the evidence? Where is the proof? I am of the opinion that if you make an assumption, you have to own up to the fact that it is an assumption. Don't state it as if it is a fact.

This book really took me by surprise. It's not candycoated historical fiction, it is a really exacting portrayal of Georgiana. The author has tons of (interesting) quotes and footnotes, and relies soley on facts to paint a RICH portrait of the french revolution, the whig party etc. REALLY GOOD!

Chaucer, Geoffrey (c.1343–1400) - The Book of the Duchess Chaucer, Geoffrey (c.1343–1400) - The Book of the Duchess

Georgiana became an important hostess, advisor and campaigner for the Whigs. She was the queen of the haute ton, an eighteenth century IT girl and so much more. She was involved with the who's who of the late 1770s. Among her friends were the King and Queen of France. The political influence of women wouldn't be seen again until the 20th century " The accession of Queen Victoria in 1837 had a further dampening effect on women’s participation in public life" This book, in my opinion, sheds a slightly different light on Wallis Simpson and her relationship with the Prince of Wales, then King Edward VIII, and finally the Duke of Windsor.Yes, all of those things are true, but I'm happy to report that Georgiana Cavendish now stands on her own in my mind as the fascinating and semi-tragic figure that she was. Amanda Foreman writes with affection about the Duchess, and gives us glimpses into her letters as often as she can so we get a feel for her voice. Foreman covers Georgiana's virtues and faults, as well as those of the people around her who played so key a role in shaping her, making this book an excellent portrait of Georgiana's life; perhaps as close a portrait as we'll get - Foreman tells us that her contemporaries didn't quite agree that the paintings done of her did her justice. I've left the book having fallen in love with Georgiana in spite of those faults and obviously bad decisions, as I think Amanda Foreman wanted me too (her job well done, then!). But these are details, and taken as a whole this film is flawed. It is only very loosely based on the book, and seems more intent on showing us a modern drama, skewed to modern tastes and preconceptions. Surely Georgiana, the film pleads, must have the heart of a modern girl who just needs a bit of love and understanding. The Georgians were really just like us, but dressier. The poster blares a blatant reference to Diana: “there were three people in the marriage”. This was the age of oligarch politics, when the great landowning families enjoyed unchallenged pre-eminence in government. While the Lords sat in the chamber known as the Upper House, or the House of Lords, their younger brothers, sons, and nephews filled up most of the Lower House, known as the House of Commons." pgs 22-23. But - Georgiana's only son never married or had children, despite many mistresses. He was as unlike his father as a son could be - he fought slavery, rebuilt the houses and villages of the poor on his lands, and took a great interest in fruit production: the bananas you buy from the supermarket were named after him, Cavendish.