Theatres, pleasure gardens, fairs, and masquerades were spaces in eighteenth-century London where men and women socialized together. What does literature from the period reveal about the form and consequences of public mixing - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages... The rich would come to the gardens with the intention of meeting performing business of even just relaxing and having fun.
This divide in the nature of the clients also inform the nature of the relationship that the women had in the attendance of these events. To most men, the fairs implied the variety in the selection of the women that they could meet or have sexual relations (Ogborn, 122). To some, the gardens visitation of the pleasure gardens and even fairs implied that they would be exposed to a high level of transgression. The transgression would result from the relation of the different members of the society and class. Within this paper, an examination of the different relations of class and behaviour during the same time in the pleasure gardens, theatres and fairs is examined. Specifically, the use of the eighteenth century literature is derived to give the form and consequences of the public interaction at the time in London.
Class and social stratification was evident at the time. To the carnival goers, the role of the class would not be as evident as it would be in some other setting. According to (Stallybrass and White, 104), the upper class engaged in the similar activities just like the common people. This was achieved through masquerade. The upper class were able to engage in the transgressions that was a common phenomenon of the poor or commoners at the events. This idea shows two sides of the events. First, for the common people, it was a normal public opportunity for transgression. Secondly to the upper class, the carnival offered them the chance to engage in the same transgressions that the common people did engage in through masquerade. The picture given to public engagement at the events is given as a unifying one. In the case where a crime like transgression is involved, the result and nature of the public relation is similar regardless of the side that one was in terms of class. It is also possible that in the public engagement, ...Download file to see next pagesRead More