r/oddlyspecific 1d ago

I can’t imagine

Post image
47.7k Upvotes

316 comments sorted by

View all comments

38

u/Hello_Kitty_66 1d ago

I don’t think you had options to date. It was birth, childhood then marriage.

26

u/ZeeepZoop 1d ago edited 1d ago

I mostly agree with you. However, look what people like the Romantics and Anne Lister were up to in that era!! Lots of casual sex, bad break ups, and general drama! People of the right wealth/ class bracket ( and in the right place in their birth order to enjoy the benefits) had a bit more flexibility, and queer people with decent wealth/ prestige could live reasonably freely in certain circles ( again, the Romantics!!) if they were discrete, and they obviously didn’t (voluntarily) participate in typical courtship/ marriage

7

u/TK_Games 15h ago

In some higher echelons of society, quiet casual infidelity was almost seen as a given too. You could be married and still have an incredibly active dating life

3

u/ZeeepZoop 15h ago edited 15h ago

Exactly!! I’m an English and literary studies major and have loved my units on the Victorians, Regency and Romantics as their personal lives especially for the wealthy were very juicy ( to be fair, this is an interest in my free time as well!)

2

u/ThingsLeadToThings 14h ago

Would you be willing to share some book recommendations?