I read banned Victorian books
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- Опубліковано 20 чер 2023
- This was such a fun video to make :)
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Part of the reason girls and women wanted to read these books was because they were banned
This totally makes me think of "Northhanger Abbey" and how Catherine gets so caught up in her scandalous books she fully believes she's discovered a murder lol
It was quite interesting when you were talking about sensationalism and how nowadays content we consume is much more intense.
It sort of links to the idea of desensitisation in psychology: the more graphic/intense content we are repeatedly exposed to, the less our body physiologically reacts to it, and so, when we do go back to for example Victorian books (which even at the time were deemed intense) or books we ourselves read when we were younger, we do not find it nearly as bad as it was on first read. Our bodies actually "desensitise" and our sympathetic nervous system/fight or flight response dullens over time; it's interesting to think about the implications of this as we face a world with virtual reality where we can experience violence and graphic content first hand in visual detailed form.
It's clear also in horror movies, the old ones are a kind of funny for us to watch now although they were scary at their time, with the movie industry progression horror movies became more intense and graphically violent. Sometimes I do wonder if horror movies should be banned because they make their watchers less sympathetic and more accustomed to see others suffering (if not enjoying it).
I think it is also called hedonic adaptation or hedonic treadmill .
Absolutely
I’m studying library science, and my passion is banned literature. This is a really fascinating video, especially in an era where states in my country are trying to ban a wide variety of books.
Ruby!! So glad you’re reading Woman in White! it’s one of my favourite classics- I also highly recommend Armadale, don’t know if this is controversial to say, but I may even like it better! ❤ would love to hear your thoughts when you have finished with it! 💭
Children being discouraged from reading some books by their parents isn’t quite the same thing as banning books, which is something done by past and present fascist regimes.
Not only fascist regimes. In France there are books that are unavailable for sale except if you're buying them from someone else, and other books that will (probably)land you on a governmental list if you do buy them.
I’m from the US and here when we talk about “banned books” and celebrate “banned book week” at libraries, we include books that have been banned by schools. So maybe it’s different elsewhere but I’m used to the phase “banned books” referring to smaller bans like on a school level, not just books banned by entire countries or governments.
What you mention how content today is so overstimulating compared to previous time periods is very true. I had a Nouvelle Vague phase of film watching and one film that was described as having been shocking in its time was Les Yeux Sans Visage. The description of the film even mentioned people fainted in theaters when they first viewed the film and so I was expecting something overwhelmingly frightening and shocking to happen when i watched it but I never noticed what it was until the end credits started rolling. I sat there thinking, wait, where was the scene haha so it's definitely interesting to compare how media was viewed in its time period vs how we see it now
You'll see by the end of The Woman in White that it is truly sensational :) W. Collins was a pioneer of the genre, and this is usually considered the first piece of sensation fiction, which in turn was a forerunner of the detective novel as we know it today. And by the way, I would not call Measure for Measure a comedy.
I'm so glad you read The Woman in White and liked it! I wrote my masters thesis in literature partly on that book (I studied the friendship between Walter and Marian), and reading it for my research was one of the most fun parts of doing my thesis.
This was such a fun video! I love seeing your enthusiasm about literature and the Victorian era throughout the video
"My delicate female condition" had me screaming 🤣🤣🤣
I'd highly recommend "The Go-Between" if you haven't read it already, just finished it today and it was great.
Hi Ruby and everyone, this is genuinely a great video and I'd live to see more of it ! Thanks for her dedication
I really enjoyed this video. There is the usual atmosphere of your videos, but mix with knowledge in areas you know well. It’s a mixture of coziness, books, countryside and knowledge. I love it !!
Reading books amongst nature with some sun, green and birds. This is a beautiful video.
I loved this type of themed reading vlog. I got some great recommendations, more please!
I always enjoy your historical educational videos - they make an excellent idea of what to read next. Please make more of those!
Hi Ruby! I’m a fan from Italy and I’m really happy for your travels here 🫶🏻
I love watching your videos, they give me serenity…we all are so into the chaotic daily life than we don’t notice the little joys around us, always present.
Also I’d be curious about movies/tv series raccomendations! 🤗 Have a nice day
Hi Ruby! I am a massive fan of your channel and find your insight on many topics helpful but also insightful.
None of these books were actually banned, though. There was a lot of literature that unmarried women were discouraged from reading until they were married, and then their husbands, depending on their own views, would "educate" and "form" their wives minds, introducing them to more varied literature, like they were pets on a leash. But every family was different. Some Victorian parents encouraged such reading and beyond, others less so. It literally changed from household to household. As it does now. What does a parent allow their teenager to do, watch, read, in this current age, also varies from household to household. So in many ways, things have not changed as much as we may think! Also, what about boys? You are focusing only on unmarried young females. What about what the young teenage male? What was he discouraged to read?
Good points! Yes, you’re so right there was disparity (the Brontë sisters are a prime example!), and this is only a small cross section of books that were banned in some homes. Would definitely be interesting to think about whether boys’ reading was restricted too!
@@RubyGranger8 I am sure there are a lot! Some are mentioned in The Ordeal of Richard Ferverel, and also class, in general, would often dictate what one should or should not read. We see this in Jude the Obscure, when Jude is trying to better himself with learning Latin. The son of a farmer would be expected to take over the farm in time and any "book learning" or leanings towards education outside of this career would be discouraged, books flung in fireplaces or returned to whomever leant them to their son. Then again, one expected to become a clergyman or some kind of scholar would be discouraged to read poetry or novels over heavier matter!
I think it changed a lot more because back then standardised education didn't exist, and schools were looked down on. Going to get education with other people in a classroom it was something lower classes did, but upper classes did not. They'd have their children, boys and girls, educated at home with a private teacher and a governess. They would learn whatever their parents thought it was relevant.
Please make this a series I love this
such an interesting ideaaa! loved it
I just wanted to say that corsets being so tight they made it challenging to breathe is a big misconception, and Brenadette Banner's UA-cam channel has a lot of good information about it.
Of course Bernadette was there so it must be true.
@@nicolad8822she’s a historian?
It is quite interesting to see how our sensitivities have changed over the last couple centuries. Lovely video!
You're so soft! I loved to watch this video and know more about your opinions.
this was so incredibly interesting!! Victorian society and their odd social mores have always been fascinating to me and I definitely learned so much from this one!! Especially thinking about how crazy it is that institutions would deliberately suppress critical thinking in young girls and women through control over literature
thank you! inspiration to have a readerful weekend
This was a fascinating overview.
When I was a teenager, banned books were SO enticing!
Banned books are the best books. You can’t change my mind!
Amazing idea!
Please do more of these types of videos!
Your videos are so interesting and I really liked this one. 😊 I actually didn't know Kidnapped was banned. Thank you for including this book/author - as I've mentioned before, I'm related to him through a marriage (so we're not blood related) and I'm always interested to find out more about him and to read his books. I recently got one about Edinburgh which I think is possibly first edition!
As per the Sense and Sensibility reference - Austen's writing was not during the Victorian era, but Georgian. Also, since these books were not actually banned, do you have any references to support what you're mentioning in the video? Thanks!! :)
I love the thumbnail 💕
Right now I am reading a book that I think you might find interesting, if you haven't read it yet (not related to the video, though); it's called Women Talking by Miriam Toews.
I am going to try and read the four books that you have suggested in this video too ❤❤❤
Just found this amazing piece of work and I love it and I am very jealous of your amazing work of William Shakespeare prayers and blessings for you and your family love your Aussie family friend John ❤❤❤
We appreciate your dedication and hard work. Bless you.
I just know you'll love to read We Have Always Lived in the Castle.
As a rebel Victorian teen I can confirm that this is what we read secretly.
Ruby, I really really like your videos. They're always so interesting and enjoyable ^^
Thank you for all the effort and time you put into making videos!
Me & the girls smuggling in some spicy Shakespeare into the girl’s prep dorm 😋
@@miameowmeow123 Oooh yes, a classic :p B))
I enjoyed the woman in white a lot! I guess why the book is banned is bcs it's ahead of its time because of the themes it brought up? It touches on interesting subjects such as love between different class, unhappy marriage, strong woman side character, and the overall focus on women's struggle
Hi Ruby. Are you going to be doing an academic planner for next school year. Planning to buy on if you do! xx
I have downloaded the complete Shakespeare collection from Gutenberg. Thanks for introducing one of Shakespeare's "scandalous" plays. Now I know what I will read next.
New suscriber, love your channel !
I mean they weren't actually _banned_ were they, in fact every one of these was a huge bestseller? Some of them might have been seen as a bit risqué but banning books is a very different matter. I think the reason Hazlitt might have been discouraged is because he was divorced and re-married. Although, like Austin, he died before the Victorian age.
You made some interesting points about how potentially desentisized we are compared to Victorian readers. I think I am someone who is still very sensitive: I read We Are All The Same In The Dark (by Juliet Heaberlin) on Saturday night, which is a thriller and not usually what I read, and my stomach was in knots the whole time! It wasn't particularly graphic or violent, not for that genre, but still I was so woried I'd have nightmares after finishing it that I didn't want to fall asleep until I was sure I'd distracted myself with pleassnt things. It was a very good book but I already promised myself I wouldn't read another like that as my poor nerves can't take it! 😅 But I know so many people who particularly love that genre and the kore shocking and graphic, the better to them. Not for me!
What you are talking about is upper class Victorian girls. The working class ones, even if they could read, would be too busy cleaning the rooms of the upper class girls or slogging away in factories.
Please do your morning routines and night routine
What edition is that of Kidnapped? It's so nice and I love that size!! My allergies would never let me read outside as much as I want to 😢
We need a video with Ruby and Jade
Can we talk about Jane Austen, the hilarity of P+P vs S+S. Mrs Bennet sending Jane out to the Bingleys on horseback and exclaiming “Nobody ever died from a cold!” When she gets sick from riding in the rain. Cut to Sense and Sensibility where Marianne almost dies from a short walk in the rain and the cold that ensues. I just think it is so funny :)
Please make a video of all the Victorian era books you have read and share your views...Have you read any D H Lawrence books
DH Lawrence was not writing in the Victorian era.
I loved “The Woman in White” when I read it. I do need to do a re-read of it because I have only read it the once, but I really enjoyed it when I read it. I keep meaning to reading “The Moonstone” as well, so if you’ve read that one, please let me know what you thought of it.
The idea of Collins being influenced by Brontë is interesting…I’d be interested to see if that was or was not the case….
i am dying at the random cartwheels thrown into the video
It’s interesting you said The Woman in White reminded you of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall because Tara Fitzgerald was in the movie versions of both books.
Where did you find the list of these banned Victorian books? 🤔🧐
I read Woman in White and I loved it
Love the thumbnail
When he died, the Victorian artist Aubrey Beardsley left an unfinished novella which was subsequently completed by the Canadian poet John Glassco. It's called 'Under The Hill' (or sometimes 'Under The Hill of Venus'). Copies are quite hard to get hold of (abebooks is your friend), but it's definitely worth it: some of the strangest prose you'll ever read.
The strangest novel I ever read is "I Live Under a Black Sun" by Edith Sitwell. I read an old copy that was falling apart and I had to trash it after reading. Not a commentary on its literary quality. Published in 1937 so not Victorian, though the sensibilities were old-fashioned and maybe more like Edgar Allen Poe that anything else. Weird weird stuff.
If I were a typecaster, I'd love to cast Ruby as a Victorian lady with a Romanticised backdrop 😍
Oh my gosh please
I really like this banned book❤
I tried to read "Woman in White" one or two times but never finished it because it's too long. Perhaps I don't have the patience as former generations used to have when they read a book. I am so used to action movies that I expect explosions happening after every 3 or 5 pages. The pace of storytelling has accelerated in modern books over years in comparison to older classic books.
Is there a book for adults of Shakespeare with short stories ?
I am curious what you find problematic about boys literature from RL Stevenson's time? I have not read Treasure island for a while, but can not remember finding it very offensive (for it's time anyway...).
You mentioned exploring the power of the written word through a book like Our Mutual Friend-Dickens painted graphic scenes from hilarity to horror expertly, and I’m surprised Bleak House wasn’t on a banned list, somewhere, for it is certainly graphic. It’s not a terrible thing to temper what a child is allowed to read, depending on their age, innocence, and intellect. I don’t subscribe to censoring, but literature appropriate to the age is surely wise. There is more than enough time to grow-up, but children and adolescents are exposed to things way beyond their age level by permissive parenting and the intense technology within easy grasp, yea, in the palm of their hand! It seems a lot of caution has been thrown to the wind, along with innocence, and growing up naturally, by stages, has to a large extent, been robbed from many children. Ruby, this is only my opinion, and holds no weight whatsoever. Thanks for the video, I enjoyed it, and gleaned new insights from it.
you are my idol, literally.
Someday I hope to write a play about banned books in florida or during n*zi occupied Amsterdam. It is sadly an issue we still have to deal with!
Girls weren't allowed to ride "cross-saddle" opposed to sidesaddle because it was thought they might experience certain physical "feelings"! Anything to preserve their innocence.
"Maybe they really just didn't like that this wasn't in iambic pentameter" 😆
I'm learning from you, that I can enjoy a book, even though it doesn't lineup with your morals or even your perspectives. Am I making any sense?
I always thought you shouldn't like a book if it went against your perspectives.
I agree with you that the Woman in White isn’t all that sensational compared to modern media but I don’t think you have got far enough into finding out what really happened and why. To me it reads like it’s being retold as if it were compiled evidence (which was the intention of Wilkie Collins) and for that reason, the parts which might have been more graphic and horrifying didn’t come across as it might have, had it all been written in the first person as events happened. It was a conspiracy and a nasty one but I don’t want to say anything about that in case you haven’t read that far yet!
What about Marian Halcombe! Early in the book she is described as ugly. No way! She is dark compared to Laura’s paleness and fragility but she is stronger, fitter, more intelligent and has more of many other assets the Victorians didn’t like women to have!
Could you perhaps link your sources? Inaccuracies seem to pop up occasionally in your videos and this one has a few. These books weren't really banned. Austen wasn't Victorian. And there's the misconception about the corsets being too tight to breathe. Whatever sources you're using, it's spreading misinformation which is a disservice to yourself and your audience.
Misconception about corsets cos you saw a random UA-cam video?
I am fairly certain that women fainting due to corsetry is a myth. I myself know next to nothing about historical dress, but Abby Cox here on UA-cam has some very interesting videos on this topic.
Also Bernadette Banner!
@@lambchops5103Karolina Zebrowska as well!
Literally came to the comments section to suggest these channels to Ruby haha. I am sure she would enjoy them!
Pretty sure you’d be more likely to faint in too many layers and lacings than in modern dress.
@@nicolad8822 Not saying it never happened. Just like nowadays there were probably people who take fashion to unhealthy extremes, but the image we have of women in the past fainting left right and centre because they laced their corsets too tightly is not accurate, as far as I'm aware. Women used to work in corsets, including hard manual labour. And the layers all served their purposes as well, and probably didn't get in the way of movement as much as we think they did. Again, I am not an expert in this and my knowledge all comes from the channels mentioned above.
Are you also a fan of youtuber 'Beckii' she does videos about victorians
Well done, Ruby. I hope you intend to continue this topic to a conclusion. E.G. Why do you disapprove of Victorian boy's books. I find them boring, but I wouldn't call that a disapproval.
My main issue is the colonialist narrative that they advocate - the typical formula for one of these books is that a boy or a group of boys find a desert island and then colonise it. It lies in line with the educational material used in boys public schools at the time, whereby sports and internal publications really promote this model. I should have noted that in the video really x
@@RubyGranger8 Well put, Ruby. Insightful. Rational. Critical. Thanks for your videos.
Hi
Hii
hi
It's interesting because young men in the Victorian era had ready access to Penny Dreadfuls and then previously to that the Georgians had Shilling Shockers. For those that don't know, these are cheap, sensationalized works of crime fiction intended for teen audiences. They were considered the "violent video games" of those particular eras. I'm certain women owned/read them, but it seemed that, for the most part, parents allowed these works of gruesome fiction to be read by their young sons. Something to consider for your research, Ruby. Penny Dreadfuls are incredibly interesting.
I'm a rare book specialist in the States-- FYI.
wasnt it Stephen King who said something along the lines of "find out which books they don't want you to read and find them"? and there is a good bit of truth to that
Yeah, our books stores here (Canada) are all doing displays for books they are currently banning in the states.
@@falygurl9703 now I'm curious. what books would I find there?
@@CookieMonster-nt8hh Oh everything from Stephen King to Maya Angelou to Harper Lee. Heck some schools have even been forced to ban the Bible. America seems to have lost its collective mind.
@@falygurl9703THEY ARE BANNING MAYA ? But for what
@manasvisingh2101 because they are racist. They don't want black ideas out there (especially if they come from a woman) and they can't allow anything that might make white people feel bad about their racist history.
I love you so much my sister
You are my idiol
Ruby, you're realy, but too much realy a classic girl, very beautiful AND aristocratic. Thanks.😊
bye
Whom did you kidnap in your life ?
Just kidding
Agree but it's not spiritual so can make laugh
Munda Sohna Jeha
Amar Sehmbi
You compared to her with yourself
aren t you supposed to know that corsets were not torture devices ?
You watched the same video as everyone else?
@nicolad8822 in case you didn't notice, "not a torture device" is a hyperbolic way of saying that no, women weren't fainting "largely because of corsets"
Corsets were simply the victorian equivalent of a bra.
Corsets restricting movement and causing women to faint is a myth.
I was surprised that Ruby isn't educated on the matter, considering how much of a victorian era enthusiast she seems to be.
Hello, some time you be teenager girl and some time experience phlocipher is that not contradiction?
Please, let's stop spreading misinformation to young people who might turn to these videos as a source of knowledge. Starting from the fact that Jane Austen belonged to the Regency period and, therefore, Sense and Sensibility is not Victorian in any sense of the word (it was published in 1811, while Queen Victoria became Queen in 1837. Similarly, The Family Shakespeare is in no way Victorian), there are numerous inaccuracies in the video. Highlighting the idea that corsets led to fainting at the very beginning of the video, alongside the incorrect listing of Sense and Sensibility as a source (moreover, Austen never says walks are not appropriate for women. Most of her heroines can be found walking everywhere and, apart from Elizabeth Bennet, they are never frowned upon because of doing so. Elizabeth is only criticised because of her unkempt state, not because of walking) only serves to lead viewers in the wrong direction when they try to conduct research after watching your video. It would also be nice for you to offer some sources that can fully clarify why these books were banned if they were banned at all-in many cases, young women were only discouraged from reading them, but they were not actually banned. I am guessing that most of your viewers are younger than you and they view you as a great source of information, which can be great and can motivate younger audiences to learn about literature! However, you have to be careful with the information you share. As an academic, this is something you should be aware of. Misinformation is dangerous and broad assumptions should never be made.
rawr
Having an Undergrad degree hardly makes her an academic.
I took her to mean that Austen and Shakespeare were banned in Victorian times, not that they were books written during the Victorian era. I agree though that having some sources on this topic would be interesting. But seeing as it is a UA-cam video, it's value probably lies more in introducing young people to literature that they wouldn't otherwise have come across, and as a source of entertainment it doesn't have to have an exhaustive list of sources listed. If people are interested in this topic it could be a good starting point to do some further research themselves.
i think of slavery
I am shocked, shocked that our proper and virtuous Ruby would allow herself to be corrupted by such saucy readings.
Imagine if I had to wear a corset in the past, I would had found it extremely uncomfortable and I would had not been able to breathe.
That's a myth, a properly fitted corset does not impact your breathing and tight lacing was not a common practice.
@@falygurl9703Layers and lacings of any sort would have exacerbated over heating, low blood pressure, and hormonal issues. I passed out regularly as a teen without any of that.
@nicolad8822 that sounds like a medical issue, it is not normal for people to regularly pass out.
Hello how are you and nice video and nice and very beautiful lady 💯👍🌻🏵️🌷🌼💐🌺🥀🌸🌹 I am living from Pakistan and are you from?
The prostitution, the bed tricks, and the head trick combine to make MforM an indelicate rom-com in any era. I would not teach it at any pre-collegiate level. ❤
How Victorian.
💀Subrayar libros está prohibido.
Lindo video.👏👏👏
No, underlining books isn’t prohibited.
@@Tams1978En un mundo perfecto, si. jajaja