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Author Muir, Rory, 1962- author.

Title Gentlemen of uncertain fortune : how younger sons made their way in Jane Austen's England / Rory Muir.

Publication Info. New Haven, CT : Yale University Press, [2019]

Copies

Location Call No. Status
 Colchester, Cragin Memorial Library - Adult Department  942.07 MUIR, RORY    Check Shelf
Description xv, 374 pages : illustrations, 24 cm
Gender group: gdr Men lcdgt
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 351-362) and index.
Contents Younger sons and their families -- Money and society -- The Church -- Medicine -- The law : barristers -- The law : attorneys and solicitors -- Banking and commerce -- Civil office -- The navy : young gentlemen at sea -- The navy : promotion and employment -- The Army -- India.
Summary A fresh portrait of Jane Aiusten's England told through the career paths of younger sons - men of good family but small fortune. In Regency England the eldest son usually inherited almost everything while his younger brothers, left with little inheritance, had to make a crucial decision: what should they do to make an independent living? If they were to remain 'gentlemen', only a few options, such as joining the Church or the army, were availble to them. Each of these careers had its own attractions, drawbacks and peculiarities, and Gentlemen of Uncertain Fortune is the first exploration of the lifestyle and prospects afforded by these different professions. Rory Muir weaves together the stories of many young men, both well known and obscure - including Austen's brothers and Sydney Smith - while shedding a great deat of light on REgency society. Life for these 'privileged' young men was not particularly easy and success was often elusive, whatever career they pursued. -- From dust jacket.
Subject Primogeniture -- England -- History.
Inheritance and succession -- England.
Professions -- England -- History.
England -- Social conditions -- Historiography.
Social history -- Historiography. (OCoLC)fst01122502
Inheritance and succession. (OCoLC)fst00973371
Primogeniture. (OCoLC)fst01076468
Professions. (OCoLC)fst01078551
England. (OCoLC)fst01219920
Chronological Term 1700-1899
Genre/Form History. (OCoLC)fst01411628
ISBN 9780300244311
0300244312
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