(Do not try this at home, everyone will talk.)
The eldest daughter is called “Miss” followed by her surname, such as “Miss Bennet.” The other daughters are called “Miss” followed by their first name then surname, such as “Miss Elizabeth Bennet.” Once the eldest is married, the next in line may be called “Miss” followed by surname.
Husbands and wives of the older generation call each other Mr. and Mrs. but the younger generation is beginning to dispense with this custom and use first names. (In P&P, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet do not call each other by their first name.)
A gentleman may not greet a lady in public unless she acknowledges him first.
Once introduced, you must acknowledge the presence of the other person in public. If you do not do so, you are “cutting” the other person – excluding them from your social network and revealing that you no longer view them as worthy of respect.
Married women have higher status than single women and are treated accordingly.
Young ladies “came out” at around age 17 (Lady Catherine finds the fact that Lydia Bennett is only 15 and “out” scandalous for good reason). Then they would attend balls and parties trying to find a suitable husband. If you were still unmarried by age 30 you were considered an old maid.
Here is a link for an interesting article on The Art of the Fan
http://www.freewebs.com/regencylady/theartofthefan.htm
Though I must say I’ve never seen any ladies in any Austen films (or noticed any in her books for that matter) who fluttered their fans in such a way at their admirers.
Do you think it was better back then or worse? Should society still have rules of expectations and propriety as they used to or are we better off today?
Happy Reading!
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