The Rural Voice, 2001-02, Page 371
Book Review
Book reveals surprises about lives of Victorian Ontarians
Review by Bonnie Gropp
Much to be Done — Private Lives
in Ontario from Victorian Dairies is
an often informative, occasionally
entertaining look at an interesting era.
It is with some amusement that
one considers how exciting a peek
into the past to a time known for its
prudishness might be. Yet,
researchers and authors Frances
Hoffman and Ryan Taylor have
compiled an accurate account of the
structured time, while at the same
time upsetting some of the moral
stereotypes.
For instance, those who might
think of dating in the mid -1800s as a
well -chaperoned event, should be
surprised to read that it was common
Decorating
them higher to achieve a French flair
or lower for a more casual feel.
There is now no set rule on where
they have to be. Replace your fabric
tiebacks with cording and tassels.
(Yes they're back in vogue.) Create
groupings of houseplants and
rearrange their positioning within
your room. Paint all the pots to
match your decor. This is a fun time
to incorporate stenciling and
decoupage.
And mentioning stenciling and
decoupage, these techniques can be
incorporated onto lamps and
lampshades, and small accent
furniture pieces and even onto odd
chairs you may wish to incorporate
into your decor. The truth of the
matter is there are so incredibly
many ways to creatively express
oneself with our living spaces that
we'll run out of wintertime before we
run out of ideas and techniques to be
experimented with. What a
wonderful way to get through the
winter doldrums ... creating a "new
look" for one's home!
Have fun and drop me a line if
you come up with some fun new
ideas.0
Patti Robertson operates Classic
Interiors in Wingham.
for young people not to return home their stories connect us historically to
from an evening's outing until the them, the varied voices recounting
next day's dawning. The reason was them make it difficult for any
because of long distances and slow emotional connection. Whereas much
transportation. enjoyment can come from a book
"Sarah told us MUCH TO BE DONE when the reader becomes familiar
there was to be a rNrpu.Lirr,..uw.f.. with its heroes. the constant inter-
ji,ar is vamp,! nt.:rv.
concert at Aylmer. changing of Victorian voices stymies
It was 12 miles - such empathy.
there... We had a •� ' While revealing much about the
gay time and did ;� people, it reveals little about each
not get in until 9 *, .. person. To better acquaint oneself
o'clock in the with those whose intimacies have
morning. We did been set out for public perusal there
not take breakfast is a biography at the back. Flipping
until 1 o'clock in `R^?CF1HOPfM"" frequently to it to develop some
the afternoon." - human interest but it can be
(Dairy of Hellen V Bowlby, 3 July
1867.)
It is passages such as this that
make Much to Be Done a bit of a
surprise.
While the majority of the book
would best be described as a passive
read to say the least, there are
moments like the aforementioned that
open the mind to the possibility that
all was not as it seems to us.
The compilation also has the
ability to shock. Even though we can
be certain life was harder then, seeing
personal testamonies of this in black
and white has a powerful impact. The
section on childbirth offers one
passage which taken in context with
the other rather prosaic records is
nothing short of grotesque. No
fictional horror novel could create a
scene as equally gruesome as the
details of a birth gone very, very
wrong.
But, generally Much to be Done, is
simply a narrative account by many
storytellers, some better than others.
It begins with an explanation about
diaries and, backed up by example,
what daily journal keeping meant to
women, and men, of that day. From
there, chapter, by chapter everything
from how to prepare the dead, to how
to prepare a traditional fruitcake is set
out in first-hand account.
The source of the narratives is
diverse. There are young women,
married women and even men. They
come from all types of social and
economic backgrounds. Yet, while
1
somewhat distracting.
However, one can assume that the
intent of Hoffman, an oral historian
with the Kitchener Public Library and
Taylor, who works with the historical
genealogy department of the Allen
County Public Library in Fort Wayne
Indiana, was not to create
entertainment, but rather offer a
unique, yet accurate perspective into
this romantic era. Much is, therefore a
revealing portraiture of the times, an
insightful glimpse of a lifestyle gone.
To review it is to retlect on our great-
grandparents and our heritage.
Much to be Done: Private Life in
Ontario From Victorian Diaries can
be obtained from the National
Heritage/Natural History Inc. PO Box
95, Station 0, Toronto, ON. M4A
2M8 or call 1-800-725-9982.0
Deadline
for the
March issue of
The Rural Voice
is
February 14, 2001
FEBRUARY 2001 33