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Post by cyrious on Mar 13, 2015 14:11:16 GMT
I have been pondering a few things about Julia's life lately. I had noticed that except for the first season most of Julia's dresses, shirts and skirts have very elaborate fastenings at the back. This has been a contrast to many other of the female characters have them either at the front or much more simple fastenings. This leads me to believe that Julia has in her employ a lady's maid. At the Darcy household, there can be seen a maid as well. This could also be reinforced by her higher social standing.
Point 1: can anyone argue against that being the status quo as of the end of season 7?
Point 2: Do she keep this maid after marriage to William?
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Post by lizmc on Mar 13, 2015 16:59:01 GMT
I'd actually be surprised if she didn't. This was an era when domestic labour was very cheap and you didn't have to be that affluent to employ household staff......I would think the Brackenreids would have a maid as well...the gap between the working poor and the middle class was huge......households would also employ young women, a lot still in their teens, newly arrived from the UK.
Cheers
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Post by snacky on Mar 13, 2015 17:03:59 GMT
I have been pondering a few things about Julia's life lately. I had noticed that except for the first season most of Julia's dresses, shirts and skirts have very elaborate fastenings at the back. This has been a contrast to many other of the female characters have them either at the front or much more simple fastenings. This leads me to believe that Julia has in her employ a lady's maid. At the Darcy household, there can be seen a maid as well. This could also be reinforced by her higher social standing. Point 1: can anyone argue against that being the status quo as of the end of season 7? Point 2: Do she keep this maid after marriage to William? We have indeed discussed this question! We were also of the opinion that Julia employed a maid, but William would be uncomfortable with servants after marriage. And we were very interested to see where William and Julia would live after their marriage and how the writers would handle the servant issue for this reason. The hotel was an extremely creative solution! I have to hand it to the writers for going there. First - Tesla lived in a hotel. Second, an early feminist theorist that I've written about on this forum - Charlotte Perkins Gilman - lived in a hotel after she got married because she was a working professional and she believed that women shouldn't have to be saddled with cooking and cleaning on top of that. i.e., there should be a "profession" devoted to cooking and cleaning instead to allow women with other talents to cultivate those talents. I'm not sure if the writers were aware of this, but living in a hotel is the IDEAL way to allow Julia to express herself as a married professional woman in that time period. As for how Julia gets dressed in the morning, hmm. This is one of the reasons clothing styles were changing at the time. More women were working. The hotel may have had staff. I'm particularly interested in how Julia gets her hair fixed in the morning. But it's a little more romantic to think William helps her with any buttons and latches she needs help with until the clothing revolution comes.   Ps. There might be an interesting story if Julia's former maid/helper comes back with a "problem" or "in trouble"... |
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Post by lovemondays on Mar 13, 2015 19:20:34 GMT
I have been pondering a few things about Julia's life lately. I had noticed that except for the first season most of Julia's dresses, shirts and skirts have very elaborate fastenings at the back. This has been a contrast to many other of the female characters have them either at the front or much more simple fastenings. This leads me to believe that Julia has in her employ a lady's maid. At the Darcy household, there can be seen a maid as well. This could also be reinforced by her higher social standing. Point 1: can anyone argue against that being the status quo as of the end of season 7? Point 2: Do she keep this maid after marriage to William? We have indeed discussed this question! We were also of the opinion that Julia employed a maid, but William would be uncomfortable with servants after marriage. And we were very interested to see where William and Julia would live after their marriage and how the writers would handle the servant issue for this reason. The hotel was an extremely creative solution! I have to hand it to the writers for going there. First - Tesla lived in a hotel. Second, an early feminist theorist that I've written about on this forum - Charlotte Perkins Gilman - lived in a hotel after she got married because she was a working professional and she believed that women shouldn't have to be saddled with cooking and cleaning on top of that. i.e., there should be a "profession" devoted to cooking and cleaning instead to allow women with other talents to cultivate those talents. I'm not sure if the writers were aware of this, but living in a hotel is the IDEAL way to allow Julia to express herself as a married professional woman in that time period. As for how Julia gets dressed in the morning, hmm. This is one of the reasons clothing styles were changing at the time. More women were working. The hotel may have had staff. I'm particularly interested in how Julia gets her hair fixed in the morning. But it's a little more romantic to think William helps her with any buttons and latches she needs help with until the clothing revolution comes. Ps. There might be an interesting story if Julia's former maid/helper comes back with a "problem" or "in trouble"... Didn't William explain Julia's need for help in the Devil Wears Whalebone? That HE laces her up each day unless he must leave early, then she has to call up one of the hotel maids. |
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Post by Fallenbelle on Mar 13, 2015 21:13:59 GMT
We have indeed discussed this question! We were also of the opinion that Julia employed a maid, but William would be uncomfortable with servants after marriage. And we were very interested to see where William and Julia would live after their marriage and how the writers would handle the servant issue for this reason. The hotel was an extremely creative solution! I have to hand it to the writers for going there. First - Tesla lived in a hotel. Second, an early feminist theorist that I've written about on this forum - Charlotte Perkins Gilman - lived in a hotel after she got married because she was a working professional and she believed that women shouldn't have to be saddled with cooking and cleaning on top of that. i.e., there should be a "profession" devoted to cooking and cleaning instead to allow women with other talents to cultivate those talents. I'm not sure if the writers were aware of this, but living in a hotel is the IDEAL way to allow Julia to express herself as a married professional woman in that time period. As for how Julia gets dressed in the morning, hmm. This is one of the reasons clothing styles were changing at the time. More women were working. The hotel may have had staff. I'm particularly interested in how Julia gets her hair fixed in the morning. But it's a little more romantic to think William helps her with any buttons and latches she needs help with until the clothing revolution comes. Ps. There might be an interesting story if Julia's former maid/helper comes back with a "problem" or "in trouble"... Didn't William explain Julia's need for help in the Devil Wears Whalebone? That HE laces her up each day unless he must leave early, then she has to call up one of the hotel maids. Did I miss that in the show? Or is that in one of DSH's fics? |
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Post by lovemondays on Mar 13, 2015 23:44:03 GMT
Didn't William explain Julia's need for help in the Devil Wears Whalebone? That HE laces her up each day unless he must leave early, then she has to call up one of the hotel maids. Did I miss that in the show? Or is that in one of DSH's fics? That possibility did cross my mind! You may be ARE right. I've beta read her stories so they are embedded in my brain. I am SO seriously addicted.  |
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Post by snacky on Mar 14, 2015 0:54:31 GMT
Didn't William explain Julia's need for help in the Devil Wears Whalebone? That HE laces her up each day unless he must leave early, then she has to call up one of the hotel maids. OMG did he actually say that? Ooh la la!   |
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Post by snacky on Mar 14, 2015 1:01:11 GMT
Did I miss that in the show? Or is that in one of DSH's fics? That possibility did cross my mind! You may be ARE right. I've beta read her stories so they are embedded in my brain. I am SO seriously addicted. That seems like a logical assumption to me, though. I do think Julia could use a little help, and William would more than delight in giving it in the name of being a "modern couple" and doing without servants. Tee hee. But I have pointed out that Charlotte Perkins Gilman lived with her upper middle class lawyer husband in a hotel, so that precedent suggests that this way of life was possible. Though in Lovers in a Murderous Time, the lady with dementia had her servant living with her in the hotel. I guess it was possible to get a suite with an extra bedroom if you needed a servant...? |
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Post by Hodge on Mar 14, 2015 1:47:04 GMT
We have indeed discussed this question! We were also of the opinion that Julia employed a maid, but William would be uncomfortable with servants after marriage. And we were very interested to see where William and Julia would live after their marriage and how the writers would handle the servant issue for this reason. The hotel was an extremely creative solution! I have to hand it to the writers for going there. First - Tesla lived in a hotel. Second, an early feminist theorist that I've written about on this forum - Charlotte Perkins Gilman - lived in a hotel after she got married because she was a working professional and she believed that women shouldn't have to be saddled with cooking and cleaning on top of that. i.e., there should be a "profession" devoted to cooking and cleaning instead to allow women with other talents to cultivate those talents. I'm not sure if the writers were aware of this, but living in a hotel is the IDEAL way to allow Julia to express herself as a married professional woman in that time period. As for how Julia gets dressed in the morning, hmm. This is one of the reasons clothing styles were changing at the time. More women were working. The hotel may have had staff. I'm particularly interested in how Julia gets her hair fixed in the morning. But it's a little more romantic to think William helps her with any buttons and latches she needs help with until the clothing revolution comes. Ps. There might be an interesting story if Julia's former maid/helper comes back with a "problem" or "in trouble"... Didn't William explain Julia's need for help in the Devil Wears Whalebone? That HE laces her up each day unless he must leave early, then she has to call up one of the hotel maids. I believe you're confusing the show with one of my stories, Murdoch's Miracle Fastener.... |
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Post by lovemondays on Mar 14, 2015 1:49:31 GMT
Didn't William explain Julia's need for help in the Devil Wears Whalebone? That HE laces her up each day unless he must leave early, then she has to call up one of the hotel maids. I believe you're confusing the show with one of my stories, Murdoch's Miracle Fastener.... Yes I absolutely am confused.  |
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Post by snacky on Mar 14, 2015 1:51:28 GMT
I believe you're confusing the show with one of my stories, Murdoch's Miracle Fastener.... Yes I absolutely am confused. ZIPPER!!!! |
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Post by Hodge on Mar 14, 2015 1:55:52 GMT
Yes I absolutely am confused. ZIPPER!!!! VELCRO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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Post by lovemondays on Mar 14, 2015 1:56:47 GMT
Yes I absolutely am confused. ZIPPER!!!! William really needs to get on with inventing that. |
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Post by lovemondays on Mar 14, 2015 1:57:49 GMT
ZIPPER!!!! VELCRO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Didn't you already come up with that??  |
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Post by Hodge on Mar 14, 2015 1:58:15 GMT
ZIPPER!!!! William really needs to get on with inventing that. Perhaps another story is in order. |
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