My Little Corner of the Victorian Era

One overwhelming interest of mine is the American South - after the Civil War and before 1900. It was a wild and wacky place, and not nearly as sad and downtrodden as people "let on." In fact, it became a boom-time.

There was exaggeration and outright lying about the status of various families before the war, because anything could be covered by simply saying, "Our family lost everything in the wa-ah."

I've collected books about this time - which extended into the early 20th Century

One of my favorites is SOUTHERN LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, by Florence King. She presents such Southern "types" as these:

The Penniless Junior Leaguer

The Little Ole Lady Lush

The Brooding Beauregard

Actually, this book is fascinating and full of humor.

Chapter Two is titled "THOU SHALT BE KINGS NO MATTER WHO BEGAT THEE or I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls."