georgiana's world the illustrated georgiana duchess of devonshire amanda foreman

She changed the hours, and set the fashions, everybody endeavoured imitate her’ Georgiana managed to charm everyone in high society, became the leader of the ton, and the leader of fashion, she became notorious for her outrageous fashion choices, she sometimes ‘carried a ship in full sail or an exotic arrangement of stuffed birds and waxed fruit’ upon her head. Horace Walpole, said of Georgiana ‘She is a lovely girl, natural and full of grace’ Fanny Burney remarked that she was ‘Quite gay, easy and charming, indeed the last epithet might have been coined for her’ And Mrs Delaney, a respected artist admitted to being ‘Quite in love with her’ in his Memoirs Louis Dutens writes ‘without any intention, she became the directess of the ton.

Her fashion, her marriage, her politics, her affairs, her addictions and so on all made the news much like they might for today’s celebrities. Stories about the Duchess appeared seemingly every day she occupied the role of celebrity in a way we might recognise today. Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire may not be a modern household name, but in the Eighteenth century, (in particular the 1780’s at the height of her celebrity) she was a cultural phenomenon and ubiquitous in the press. Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire: her literary representations and their links with politics in the long Eighteenth Century. This is my undergraduate dissertation for my English Literature degree. So I recently finished school and I thought it might be fun to upload my dissertations on here, some people might find them interesting or helpful.

Georgiana's world the illustrated georgiana duchess of devonshire amanda foreman