Summary
Summary of Society as I Have Found It
Key ideas
Key idea 1
Fashionable life has its own rules
Ward McAllister gave up law for a life of dinners, balls and summers at Newport. In his memoir, he explains how fashionable society worked and how he believed it should be run. Giving a dinner, in his eyes, was a craft with rules, not simply a matter of spending money.
His world brings old New York families into contact with new fortunes. As a guide to its inner circle, the Four Hundred, he reveals both the pleasures of belonging and the rules that shaped admission.
Key idea 2
Experience becomes his claim to authority
Start free to read
Key idea 3
Old families set the social standard
Start free to read
Key idea 4
Good hospitality begins before guests arrive
Start free to read
Key idea 5
An invitation becomes a social judgment
Start free to read
Key idea 6
Summer comfort gives way to display
Start free to read
Key idea 7
New wealth must bring more than money
Start free to read
Key idea 8
Manners reveal how an elite thinks
Start free to read
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
Read the rest freeWho it’s for
For readers who love the manners, money and gossip of the Gilded Age, and anyone curious about how an elite defined itself.
What this book is
Society as I Have Found It is a memoir of New York high society in the second half of the 1800s. It was written by Ward McAllister and published in 1890. McAllister was a lawyer from Savannah, Georgia, who gave up law for a life of dinners, balls and summer seasons at Newport. He wrote the book to explain how fashionable life worked, how he thought it should be run, and how he had helped to run it.
He is the man most linked to the phrase the Four Hundred, a name for the inner circle of New York's elite. In this summary you meet a guide who treats giving a dinner as a craft with rules. You hear about hosts, guests, menus, music, dancing floors and country houses. You also get a first-hand view of a city whose old families were meeting a flood of new fortunes. Let us begin with the man himself, and how a Southern lawyer ended up at the center of Gilded Age New York.
In this summary
- 1A Southern lawyer finds his callingFree
- 2Old New York set the standard
- 3Dinners are an art with rules
- 4Balls and the Patriarchs
- 5Newport and the summer season
- 6Old families meet new money
Key point 1 of 6
A Southern lawyer finds his calling
Ward McAllister was born in Savannah, Georgia, in 1827 and trained as a lawyer. His family was comfortable, and his tastes ran early to good company, good food and travel. He tells his story as the story of a man whose real talent was for social life, not for the courtroom.
In the years of the California gold rush, McAllister went west and spent time in San Francisco. He treats this as part of his education. He saw people from every background thrown together in a raw new city, and he learned how quickly manners, taste and influence could be built or lost.
Back on the East Coast, he made his home among the wealthy of New York and Newport. He married into money, which gave him the freedom to entertain and to travel in Europe. There he studied how European hosts handled dinners, receptions and country life.
This early part of the memoir sets up his claim to authority. He presents himself as a man who has watched many societies, tasted many cuisines and been trained by experience. Whether you find that charming or self-satisfied, it explains why he felt sure of his opinions.
That’s 1 of 6 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
- Nothing to pay today · Renews every year
- We email you before you pay
- Cancel online in two clicks
Check yourself
What principle underlies McAllister's rules for giving a good dinner?
Right. “Hospitality works when someone has thought about other people's comfort in advance.”Not quite. “Hospitality works when someone has thought about other people's comfort in advance.”
What social power did the Patriarchs exercise through their balls?
Right. “The Patriarchs would choose who was invited, and an invitation became a sign of belonging.”Not quite. “The Patriarchs would choose who was invited, and an invitation became a sign of belonging.”
How does McAllister believe society should respond to new wealth?
Right. “He argues that society must admit newcomers who have taste, manners and good character, or it will grow stale.”Not quite. “He argues that society must admit newcomers who have taste, manners and good character, or it will grow stale.”
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 56,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 3 h 45 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary; paperback, hardcover and large print at cost
- LanguagesEnglish and 11 other languages
Questions about Society as I Have Found It
What is Society as I Have Found It about?
It is McAllister's memoir of fashionable life in New York and Newport. It covers dinners, balls, summer seasons, manners and the struggle between old families and new wealth in the later 1800s.
Who was Ward McAllister?
He was a Georgia-born lawyer who became a leading figure in New York society. He organized balls, advised hosts and was closely linked with Mrs. Astor and the idea of an exclusive social circle.
What does the Four Hundred mean?
The Four Hundred was a name for the top circle of New York society in the Gilded Age. It is often tied to the number of guests a leading ballroom could hold.
When was Society as I Have Found It written?
It was published in 1890. It is a true memoir written by a participant, so it reflects his own opinions and pride as much as it records events.
Is Society as I Have Found It worth reading today?
Yes, if you like social history. It shows how a wealthy elite thought about manners, belonging and money, and the author's confident voice makes the details easy to follow.
