Resumen
Resumen de English Eccentrics and Eccentricities
Para quién es
For readers who love curiosities, Victorian reading habits and British social history, and anyone who enjoys short anecdotes about misers, recluses and people who lived by their own rules.
De qué trata este libro
John Timbs was a Victorian writer who spent his working life gathering odd facts and old stories. English Eccentrics and Eccentricities, published in 1866, is one of his collections. It brings together short portraits of people in Britain who lived by their own rules, drawn from earlier books, newspapers and memoirs.
You get a quick tour through the habits, hobbies, fears and fixations of men and women who refused to blend in. Timbs does not argue a thesis. He sets out cases one after another and lets you smile, wince or wonder. To see how he does it, begin with the idea of eccentricity itself.
En este resumen
- 1Eccentricity shows what society expectsFree
- 2Misers and hoarders fill many pages
- 3Recluses and rule breakers live apart
- 4Read it in small doses for pleasure
Idea clave 1 de 4
Eccentricity shows what society expects
Timbs writes at a time when Victorian Britain prized respectability, routine and good manners. Against that background, a person who ignored the rules stood out at once. His book treats such people as worth recording, not just as targets for ridicule.
The word eccentric means off centre, and Timbs gathers people who stepped away from the usual path in dress, diet, home life or money. Some are harmless, some funny, and some a little sad. In each case the anecdote shows what the neighbours found normal by showing what they found strange.
For a modern reader this is the first pleasure of the book. You learn about odd individuals, and you also learn what ordinary people of the period took for granted. The collection works as a mirror held up to the age as much as a gallery of curiosities.
That’s 1 of 4 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Questions about English Eccentrics and Eccentricities
What is English Eccentrics and Eccentricities about?
It is a collection of short sketches and anecdotes about unusual people in Britain, including misers, recluses and others who lived by their own rules. Timbs gathered them from earlier books, newspapers and memoirs.
When was English Eccentrics and Eccentricities published?
John Timbs published it in 1866. It is a nineteenth century work of popular antiquarian writing, so it reflects Victorian tastes and attitudes toward people who stood out from the crowd.
Are the stories in the book true?
Timbs presents them as real accounts, but many were collected from older sources and retold. Some details may have grown with repetition, so they are best read as colourful lore rather than exact biography.
Is English Eccentrics and Eccentricities hard to read?
It is not hard. The entries are short and self-contained. You can dip in anywhere and follow each story easily.
Who was John Timbs?
John Timbs was an English writer, editor and antiquarian who lived from 1801 to 1875. He compiled popular books of facts and curiosities, including Curiosities of London and Things Not Generally Known.