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A Frenchman in England in 1784
order this bookF. La Rochefoucald Price £40.00  La Rochefoucald was a French nobleman touring England before embarking on a career in the army and the diplomatic service. He was interested in the growth of science, particularly as it affected the development of agriculture. He befriended Arthur Young during his stay in England, and after staying in London, went to live in Bury, Suffolk. Subsequently he toured the midlands, Midwest and south of England. La Rochefoucald was an astute observer of both economic and social life, and described in detail the various developments associated with the industrial revolution. He gave an account of London, Suffolk and Norfolk and how they were affected by contemporary economic developments. He also covered many aspects of social life - balls, hunting, cock fighting, gaming, club life, and burial ritual - as well as the working conditions and domestic life of ordinary labourers. The present book is a reprint of the English edition of 1933. From "Mélanges sur l'Angleterre; Cleanliness": "The cleanliness which pervades everything is a perpetual source of satisfaction. Houses are constantly washed inside and out, generally on Saturdays. People take the greatest possible pains to maintain the standard of cleanliness: "you come upon mats and carpets everywhere; there is always a strip of drugget on the stairs, and not a speck of dust anywhere. At first I was quite astonished at all this and did all that I could to make sure whether this cleanliness was natural to the English and so pervaded all their activities, or whether it was a superficial refinement. I was led to see quite clearly that it was only external: everything that you are supposed to see partakes of this most desirable quality, but the English contrive to neglect it in what you are not supposed to see. "To give a single instance, I need only mention the kitchen which, amongst people who have a natural instinct for cleanliness, ought to be spotlessly clean. But the worst thing that could be fall you would be to go into the kitchen before dinner-the dirt is indescribable. Women are usually employed and are as black as coal; their arms, bared to the elbow, are disgustingly dirty; to save time, they handle the portions of food with their hands. You may go into the kitchen in a great nobleman's house and see perhaps ten women at work, but I will wager that you will not see a couple of napkins or dish-cloths, and if you do see one in use, you will have no desire to wipe your hands on it, since it is used for everything." |