Reviews

Sex In Georgian England: Attitudes And Prejudices From The 1720s To The 1820s by Arnold P. Harvey

wealhtheow's review

4.0

A very well researched history of the attitudes, assumptions, and beliefs surrounding sexuality in eighteenth century England. Harvey presents evidence on all sorts of aspects, from condom use dynamics to sexual positions (standing up, or leaning against things, was a particular favorite of the time, and "undressing" generally just meant outer garments--shifts usually stayed on, so true nakedness was rare) to the hilarious shift in perception that took place regarding women's libido: before the 1700s women were assumed to be far lustier, and afterwards were considered to have so little interest in sex that having any was grounds for psychiatric diagnosis. Harvey writes with an enjoyably arch tone but always backs up his points with loads of endnotes and quotes--even tables of rape and prostitution statistics!