{"product_id":"decadent-divorce-scandal-and-sensation-in-victorian-society-hardcover","title":"Decadent Divorce: Scandal and Sensation in Victorian Society - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eRuth Derham\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA fascinating, revealing examination of divorce in Victorian Britain - and what it meant for society as a whole. It is a story of high drama, humor, pathos and tragedy, brimming with moral comment that throws a light on the preoccupations of the age.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e On Thursday January 11, 1883, the new Royal Courts of Justice opened its doors for business. From that day forward a stream of dissatisfied spouses from all over the country passed through the doors of courtrooms I and II with their tales of marital woe. Their desperate attempts to prove their partner's marital crimes to judge and jury unwittingly became something of a spectator sport; the most sensational, instructive or noteworthy stories reported daily in copious detail by Fleet Street's eager press. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The great causes célèbres revealed stories of decadence and disregard, arrogance and entitlement; the faults and foibles of an aristocracy that had once held reverence as a birthright exposed to a growing and increasingly scathing middle- and lower-class readership. Members of the professional class tasted the downside of celebrity; and for those of the working class who could scrape together enough money there was at last some relief from abusive, deserting or unfaithful spouses - but to what end? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eDecadent Divorce\u003c\/i\u003e takes a peep through the keyhole of the court to witness, not just 'what the butler saw', but what the world was invited to see; to explore what this microcosm of late Victorian society tells us about society at large. The picture that emerges is one of high drama, humor, pathos and tragedy, brimming with moral comment that throws a light on the social tensions and preoccupations of the age.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eRuth Derham is the author of a biography of the radical aristocrat Frank Russell, titled Bertrand's Brother, and the co-editor of a new volume of Lionel Johnson's Winchester Letters. Her longstanding interest in Victorian society developed into Decadent Divorce and underpins and informs her current research into the life of Virginia Mary Crawford. Ruth lives and works in Wiltshire, UK.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 288\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.3 x 9.4 x 6.2 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e August 13, 2024\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45773600161989,"sku":"9781398108943","price":37.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0757\/6718\/5605\/files\/heDi_tAMc9781398108943.webp?v=1770510646","url":"https:\/\/selloorium.com\/products\/decadent-divorce-scandal-and-sensation-in-victorian-society-hardcover","provider":"Selloorium","version":"1.0","type":"link"}