I have often been told that I was born in the wrong century. I agree! Life in Western Europe or North America anytime from the sixteenth century through the early twentieth century would have suited me well. I'd gladly give up my SUV, iPad, comfy bed, and coffee maker. I wouldn't want to be poor and destitute, but I don't want to be poor and destitute in this era either. I wouldn't mind a traditional view of women. Sure, it's better to live in a time where women are seen as equals to men. But I could live with it if I were thrust back to 1821 and couldn't vote. I don't really like my choices these days anyway.
Since I don't know how to create a time machine (although my 6 year old niece is determined that we figure it out), I have decided to learn more about life in my prefered era by reading literature from various periods and then using the stories to catapult my research rabbit hole. I have begun with the Victorian Era. I chose Great Expectations, Mary Barton, and A Story in Scarlet.
I began with Great Expectations to introduce myself to Victorians, the way they thought, and what was important to them. Frankly I started with this book because I adore Charles Dickens and this is my blog, so that's where I began. I pulled a recipe from each book to include. From Great Expectations I chose mincemeat Pie. Pip's sister makes a mincemeat pie for Christmas dinner.
Next, I read Mary Barton. A wonderful book about a love triangle set in the backdrop of working class Manchester. I learned a lot about the conditions of the working class and the Chartist Movement that improved conditions for the working class, although it took almost 100 years to do it. The recipe I chose from this book was the Meat and Potato Pie. These were popular among working class becuase they could be packed easily.
The last book I chose for the VIctorian Era is A Story in Scarlett by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This is the first book written in the Sherlock Holmes series. It's about a murder in London, but the story spans across the Atlantic Ocean to Utah. I grew up in Utah, so I thought this would be a fun book to include. I used this book to catapult me into research about crime and punishment in this era. In a nutshell, crime was rife and the punishments were harsh. The recipe I chose was rice pudding. Rice pudding was popular in England, but this particular recipe comes from a Mormon heritage website and was eaten by the Mormon pioneers crossing the plains. I also included a video of Mary Berry making Rice Pudding because who doesn't love Mary Berry!
Since I don't know how to create a time machine (although my 6 year old niece is determined that we figure it out), I have decided to learn more about life in my prefered era by reading literature from various periods and then using the stories to catapult my research rabbit hole. I have begun with the Victorian Era. I chose Great Expectations, Mary Barton, and A Story in Scarlet.
I began with Great Expectations to introduce myself to Victorians, the way they thought, and what was important to them. Frankly I started with this book because I adore Charles Dickens and this is my blog, so that's where I began. I pulled a recipe from each book to include. From Great Expectations I chose mincemeat Pie. Pip's sister makes a mincemeat pie for Christmas dinner.
Next, I read Mary Barton. A wonderful book about a love triangle set in the backdrop of working class Manchester. I learned a lot about the conditions of the working class and the Chartist Movement that improved conditions for the working class, although it took almost 100 years to do it. The recipe I chose from this book was the Meat and Potato Pie. These were popular among working class becuase they could be packed easily.
The last book I chose for the VIctorian Era is A Story in Scarlett by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This is the first book written in the Sherlock Holmes series. It's about a murder in London, but the story spans across the Atlantic Ocean to Utah. I grew up in Utah, so I thought this would be a fun book to include. I used this book to catapult me into research about crime and punishment in this era. In a nutshell, crime was rife and the punishments were harsh. The recipe I chose was rice pudding. Rice pudding was popular in England, but this particular recipe comes from a Mormon heritage website and was eaten by the Mormon pioneers crossing the plains. I also included a video of Mary Berry making Rice Pudding because who doesn't love Mary Berry!
Blogs
Great Expectations |
Mary Barton |
A Story in ScarlettA Study in Scarlet |