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Essay / 1919th Century Sign Language in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin
Today, many people do not see the point, or are not motivated, in learning a new language. However, in the 19th century, people used different types of sign language as a means of communication. Jane Austin's novel, Pride and Prejudice, describes this as the importance of educating young women. By learning the language of the fan, the glove and/or the flowers, women had a way to express themselves secretly. Sign languages consisted of simple movements that signified a certain word or phrase. Additionally, these languages allowed a woman to flirt with a man without it being extremely rude. During the time of Pride and Prejudice, people used fans, gloves, and flowers as a means of communication. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayThe 19th century began with a period of fan decline. Hand fans were no longer produced as large as before. Now fans are designed to fit the size of a woman's palm. The fans were also small so they could fit in the pockets of smaller, fashionable dresses. From around 1825, fans were produced on a larger scale. Fans changed to be more complex to follow the evolution of fashion. Even the leaves of the fan were designed to “represent the romantic revival that was taking place.” Fans were used in a variety of ways. "One of the purposes was that they functioned as an essential and ornate fashion item, but beyond that, fans also regulated air temperature, concealed flirtatious rashes, and protected a woman from insects and insects. aggressive elements of nature. Along with these other purposes, fans were used as a language. The different signs made with the fans generally expressed the love or emotion of a woman. People began publishing these signs “in contemporary etiquette books and magazines.” Fan language was published in "The Original Fanology or Ladies' Conversation which had been created by Charles Francis Badini and officially published by William Cock in London in 1797". The book gave women "details on how to hold full conversations with simple fan movements." Using a fan allowed "a woman to communicate her feelings correctly in a restrictive society, in a socially acceptable and polite manner." In addition to being used as a language, fans “served many other purposes.” A woman might use her fan to conceal her identity at a masked ball. However, to understand what the women were saying, the men “also had to learn the language of the fans.” During this time, “both men and women wore fans” to communicate with each other, “and understood the different messages.” In the 1800s, “fanology explained how to hold polite conversations using simple fan movements.” Etiquette books were very popular in the 19th century. People who read books on etiquette “sought the appropriate manners, clothing, and outward elegance to blend into fashionable ‘society’” (Mackie). Specifically, a glove etiquette book advised women to “never go out without gloves and to put them on before leaving the house.” Gloves were a popular thing to wear, and many rules came with them. Beyond that, "people sometimes wore gloves outside for comfort" and "othersSometimes, they protected themselves from the cold or the bad weather. “Rules of glove etiquette even led people to wear them in hot weather.” Glove etiquette consisted of rules "indoors and outdoors, in hot or cold weather, and at funerals, balls, or dinner parties." Gloves “were worn by both men and women, including the Prince of Wales, Jane Austen, her cousin, and Napoleon Bonaparte.” There were many rules of etiquette that people had to follow when wearing gloves. Additionally, during the 1800s, “a woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and modern languages…” (Austen 39). However, in the 19th century, a woman was “able to signal her feelings using her gloves”. A woman could not flirt in the 1800s. Some claimed that "few things were more vulgar than the willingness to flirt in all circumstances or the marked mutual interest between a man and a woman." A woman expressing her feelings to a man would be considered very rude and inappropriate. Signals have therefore been developed to preserve the dignity of women. The simple gesture of a woman tapping the gloves on her chin and biting the tips speaks volumes. These gestures would tell a man that "she loves another and wants to get rid of him very soon." By using their gloves, a woman "could subtly show her true feelings and keep a man from guessing what she was feeling." However, people were generally not allowed to take their gloves off, so it is interesting that there is language relating to gloves. During the Victorian era, “flowers quickly grew in popularity.” At that time, “a long list of meanings were assigned to flowers and the language of flowers was born.” “The language of flowers goes beyond the simple meaning given to a flower.” This “referred to the combination, presentation, and even receiving of flowers.” Flowers could be used to send messages of love or affection. Sometimes flowers could also have been used to send negative messages. Additionally, “certain flowers could provide insight into a man’s intentions.” “The first flower dictionary was written in 1819.” The book was “written in Paris, it was called The Language of Flowers”. The Language of Flowers was written by “Charlotte de Latour”. Then, “within a year, there was a German translation, and England and America had their versions.” “In 1879 an entire book was written on the language of flowers by Miss Corruthers of Inverness…quickly became the guide to the meaning of flowers in England and the United States. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers.Get a Custom EssayFlowers have been “given as a symbol of a person’s feelings and intentions.” In the language of flowers, "a gift of white roses symbolizes 'a heart ignorant of love', coreopsis meant 'love at first sight' and forget-me-nots indicated 'true love'." Additionally, a message of love could be sent by arranging white clovers, heart, roses, orange branch and single roses. Together they convey the message “Think of me” while “you occupy my thoughts” about your “audacity”, your “generosity” and your “pure love”. “Colors also expressed variations of intention or emotion. “Even today, a red rose expresses true love, a pink rose is a sign of warm affection, white roses are associated with purity and yellow roses with friendship.” The language of flowers allowed people to communicate with each other without being face to face.. 10, 2019.