How Long to Read Death in the Dining Room and Other Tales of Victorian Culture

How Long Does it Take to Read Death in the Dining Room and Other Tales of Victorian Culture?

It takes the average reader 4 hours and 40 minutes to read Death in the Dining Room and Other Tales of Victorian Culture by Kenneth L. Ames

Assuming a reading speed of 250 words per minute. Learn more

Description

In this provocative look at Victorian America, Kenneth Ames explores the minds of Victorians by examining some of their most distinctive and fascinating creations. Featuring five once-prominent home furnishings, he reconstructs a vanished culture and demonstrates the centrality of the artifact to historical understanding. Richly illustrated with photographs of surviving objects as well as images from a wide variety of period sources, the five essays discuss specific pieces—hallstands, sideboards, embroidered mottoes, parlor organs, and seating furniture—within the context of broader cultural issues and concerns. Ames reveals not only the major outlines of Victorian culture but also the conflicts and tensions deep within that culture. An extraordinary proliferation of goods characterizes the Victorian world. Throughout the study, Ames considers the relationship of some of these household objects to issues of class, gender, and place. For example, the importance of public image was dramatized by the rituals of the front hall in Victorian homes: its placement within the house, the massive hallstand with its receptacles for calling cards and umbrellas, accommodations for temporary and usually uncomfortable seating. The dining room was a shrine to the notion of "man's" dominion over nature—each elaborately carved sideboard displayed a frieze of slaughtered game and harvested vegetation. Parlor organs, a blending of the sacred and the profane, provided an occasion to display feminine accomplishment and to symbolize the role of the bourgeois Christian lady. Ames also discusses how the prevailing class and gender hierarchy was echoed in the posture of seating furniture and its arrangement. The author is one of the premier interpreters of Victorian culture in America. His witty, provocative, and irreverent commentary on the "quaint" fixtures of the Victorian household will fascinate scholars, antique buffs, and collectors on nostalgia. Author note: Kenneth L. Ames is Chief of Historical and Anthropological Surveys at the New York State Museum and was formerly Chair of the Office of Advanced Studies at the Winterthur Museum.

How long is Death in the Dining Room and Other Tales of Victorian Culture?

Death in the Dining Room and Other Tales of Victorian Culture by Kenneth L. Ames is 280 pages long, and a total of 70,000 words.

This makes it 94% the length of the average book. It also has 86% more words than the average book.

How Long Does it Take to Read Death in the Dining Room and Other Tales of Victorian Culture Aloud?

The average oral reading speed is 183 words per minute. This means it takes 6 hours and 22 minutes to read Death in the Dining Room and Other Tales of Victorian Culture aloud.

What Reading Level is Death in the Dining Room and Other Tales of Victorian Culture?

Death in the Dining Room and Other Tales of Victorian Culture is suitable for students ages 12 and up.

Note that there may be other factors that effect this rating besides length that are not factored in on this page. This may include things like complex language or sensitive topics not suitable for students of certain ages.

When deciding what to show young students always use your best judgement and consult a professional.

Where Can I Buy Death in the Dining Room and Other Tales of Victorian Culture?

Death in the Dining Room and Other Tales of Victorian Culture by Kenneth L. Ames is sold by several retailers and bookshops. However, Read Time works with Amazon to provide an easier way to purchase books.

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