Technology, Self-Fashioning and Politeness in Eighteenth-Century Britain : Refined Bodies / by A. Withey.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Withey, A., Author.

Series:

Palgrave pivot.

Palgrave pivot

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Civilization--History.

Civilization.

Science--History.

Science.

Great Britain--History.

Great Britain.

History, Modern.

Social history.

Cultural History.

History of Science.

History of Britain and Ireland.

Modern History.

Social History.

Local Subjects:

Cultural History.

History of Science.

History of Britain and Ireland.

Modern History.

Social History.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (140 p.)

Edition:

1st ed. 2016.

Place of Publication:

London : Palgrave Macmillan UK : Imprint: Palgrave Pivot, 2016.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The second half of the eighteenth century brought important changes in attitudes towards shaping the body. New expectations of polite conduct, deportment and demeanour were projected onto the body, with emphasis laid upon neatness, elegance and a 'natural' body shape. Deformities were to be concealed, whilst bodily surfaces were managed to convey a harmonious whole. A large number of 'technologies of the body' were involved in this process, including wooden legs, elastic trusses, and even wigs. But the introduction of a new type of steel - cast steel - around 1750, offered new material possibilities for shaping the body. The physical properties of steel transformed the design and function of many instruments, from postural devices to spectacles, and even the smallest daily items of toilette. By no means was steel the only material involved in transforming the body. Neither did it simply sweep away all that had gone before. But, as an 'enlightened metal', cast steel was a key material in the refinement of the body.

Contents:

Cover

Half-Title

Title

Copyright

Contents

List of Figures

Preface

Acknowledgements

Introduction: Framing the Enlightened Body

1 Shaping the Body: The Politics of Posture

2 Shaving and Masculinity in Eighteenth- Century Britain

3 Managing the Body: The Material Culture of Personal Grooming

4 New Ways of Seeing: Sight, Spectacles and Self-Fashioning

Coda: Surgical Instruments and Bodily Transformation

Conclusion: (Re)constructing the Eighteenth- Century Body

Select Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781137467492

1137467495

9781137467485

1137467487

OCLC:

930992938