![]() | A Necessary Luxury: Tea in Victorian England Subjects: English literature -- 19th century -- History and criticism; Literature and society -- Great Britain -- History -- 19th century; Tea -- England; Tea in literature; National characteristics English -- History -- 19th century; England -- Social life and cu; Tea drinking in Victorian England was a pervasive activity that, when seen through the lens of a century's perspective, presents a unique overview of Victorian culture. Tea was a necessity and a luxury; it was seen as masculine as well as feminine; it symbolized the exotic and the domestic; and it represented both moderation and excess. Tea was flexible enough to accommodate and to mark subtle differences in social status, to mediate these differences between individuals, and to serve as a shared cultural symbol within England. |
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