In the early nineteenth century,
girls were not so much educated as expected to demonstrate certain
accomplishments. Among these were an ability to dance, converse, perhaps draw,
do embroidery, or perform music. But others were more general, more overall qualities.
One of these was gracefulness. To
that end, girls of that era were encouraged to play the Game of Graces. Two
girls would toss a beribboned hoop back and forth using sticks. To catch the
hoop, one would hold their sticks straight about four inches apart. To toss,
one would cross the sticks and release them, scissor fashion. In the course of
this game, girls assumed what were thought of as graceful poses; hence the
game’s name.
Mastery of the skills involved was
by no means easy, and young ladies could spend a while getting the hang of it.
Once they did, however, they might make it into a competition, where the first
girl to successfully toss and catch the hoop ten times was the winner.
The nineteenth century society was
hardly the poster child for erasing gender stereotypes. I would assume any boy
caught playing this game might be considered a sissy. Yet the heroine of my new
release What a Lady Demands teaches
this game to her young charge, Jeremy. Viscount Lindenhurst hires Cecelia
Sanford as the latest in a string of governesses for his five-year-old son.
Cecelia soon notices Jeremy has difficulties walking and running like a normal
child, so she introduces this game to him in hopes of helping him move without
falling so often. Does she succeed? I suppose you’ll have to read the book to
find out.In the early nineteenth century, girls were not so much educated as expected to demonstrate certain accomplishments. Among these were an ability to dance, converse, perhaps draw, do embroidery, or perform music. But others were more general, more overall qualities.
One of these was gracefulness. To that end, girls of that era were encouraged to play the Game of Graces. Two girls would toss a beribboned hoop back and forth using sticks. To catch the hoop, one would hold their sticks straight about four inches apart. To toss, one would cross the sticks and release them, scissor fashion. In the course of this game, girls assumed what were thought of as graceful poses; hence the game’s name.
Mastery of the skills involved was by no means easy, and young ladies could spend a while getting the hang of it. Once they did, however, they might make it into a competition, where the first girl to successfully toss and catch the hoop ten times was the winner.
The nineteenth century society was hardly the poster child for erasing gender stereotypes. I would assume any boy caught playing this game might be considered a sissy. Yet the heroine of my new release What a Lady Demands teaches this game to her young charge, Jeremy. Viscount Lindenhurst hires Cecelia Sanford as the latest in a string of governesses for his five-year-old son. Cecelia soon notices Jeremy has difficulties walking and running like a normal child, so she introduces this game to him in hopes of helping him move without falling so often. Does she succeed? I suppose you’ll have to read the book to find out.
What a
Lady Demands
The Eton
Boys Trilogy # 2
By: Ashlyn Macnamara
Releasing November 4th, 2014
Loveswept
Blurb
