It probably started when I saw the movie Somewhere In Time with Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour. I thought it was such a romantic story, one of those "love conquers all" movies. I am a stickler for a good romance, especially in this day and age where it's kind of considered "mushy" to like romantic things. I loved the costumes and the manners of the times and how people in the upper classes went to social balls and had tea parties. I thought, "I'd love to go back in time and experience that too!" The ladies were so feminine and graceful and the art by Charles Dana Gibson and Harrison Fisher I have seen on the web reinforced my love for it even more.

I was in a group where we were asked what we thought was the most romantic era for us, and I said the Victorian era. One guy said that there were a lot of diseases, the men in the upper classes walked all over their wives, etc. I'm sure that was true; not every era was perfect. Yes, there was a gap between the rich and the poor. The poor were forced to live in horrible conditions, they didn't have the luxury of modern conveniences, and they didn't have cures for diseases that we have today, and I am sure there were men who treated women like dirt. But today there are are still men who treat women like dirt, and there is still poverty. But I would like for one day to experience riding in a horse-drawn carriage, no TV, no Internet, just taking it easy when the pace of life was slower.

There is a town near where I used to live (Ontario, CA) called Claremont. I was reading a book about it recently and it was meant to be a New England town for the West Coast. It was a railroad town in its early days and back then there was a lot of citrus farms in that area. Today it is still very much like a conservative New England town. There are no fast food places in the main hub of town, called The Village, only on the borders outlying it near Pomona and Upland. Alcohol was not even introduced to the town until the 60s, which I thought was interesting. There are still a few existing Victorian homes in the area today. Although, there are a few liberal outlets there just like anywhere, including the famed Rhino Records (that is THE place to buy music!), and the prestigious Claremont Colleges. There are very quaint, cozy little shops, cafes, and diners, but unfortunately, they couldn't escape Starbucks. But it still has that old-fashioned charm that makes it such a unique place. Alan and I have gone their a couple of times for our anniversaries.

Also, what influenced my love for the times was reading books about it. Even though Fortune's Rocks, by Anita Shreve is fiction, I could very much relate to it. It is about a young girl Olympia, who comes from a rich, conservative family who travel from Boston to a summer resort in New Hampshire in 1899. She is fifteen and she falls madly in love with a married man who is three times her age. First of all, I love this story because she doesn't fit the Victorian mold. She was an intelligent, strong young woman who risks everything for the man she loves. I won't tell you too much about it, but it is a wonderful, romantic novel (and I am not too crazy about romance novels, but this isn't your typical romance!). If you have seen the rest of my site, you know I am not your typical person!

Also, I recently saw The House of Mirth starring Gillian Anderson (yes, Dana Scully from The X-Files) as the heroine, Lily Bart. Again, she was an unconventional woman restricted by the rules of New York high society. But that didn't stop her. She was rebellious. She smoked, she played cards for money, and she was in love with a man who was somewhat of a cad, but she didn't marry him. Unfortunately, he was not rich enough to give her the kind of life she was accustomed to. Although she had to rely on men to help her, she wouldn't play the rules of her snobby set. Again, I don't want to tell you too much, but she remained a woman of integrity despite making some mistakes.

I also admired the women who fought for the vote back then. Did you know that women did not get the vote until 1920 in this country? Shameful. I'm sure if I was around back then I would have been a suffragette. The point I am trying to make that no matter what era it was, there have always been strong women beating the odds.

Well, that's all my ranting about the Victorian era! I hope you enjoyed reading it.