The New Victorians

Rod,

You cover this yourself in your third-to-last paragraph, but it does seem like these NVs are in large part merely typical rampant consumers, of more tasteful goods than the norm, rather than people who embrace many of the virtues outlined in your book.

I have the feeling that, as much as these folks may incidentally do good things like get their produce from local farms and their meat from small, ethical farmers, those bathroom renovations of theirs involve an awful lot of $800 bathtub faucets, custom tile, etc.

(And Williams-Sonoma is a terrible red flag, that company is a trawl for people who aspire to quality without the knowledge to back it up or the energy to seek it out.)

I certainly agree, though, that one can't let the great be the enemy of the good. These people are doing a lot better than they could be.

-o

Kinda in sync with the return of Victoria Magazine, maybe?

"The endearing charm of the gentle, romantic life captured so vividly in Victoria magazine returns, following the announcement that Hoffman Media will relaunch the much beloved magazine in November, 2007.

"Victoria offers a respite from the hurried pace of life, an opportunity to nourish the feminine soul. Created for all who love the timeless appeal of romantic fashions, heritage linens, charming homes, gracious gardens, unique decorative touches, and all that is beautiful in life, Victoria promises a return to loveliness.

"The charm of yesteryear, updated for today’s reader, comes alive in each issue. Be transported to gracious days of genteel charm and enduring elegance. Connect with the sentiment and elegance of times gone by and be pampered with topics close to your heart, as you take Victoria into the reading room of your soul."

When I think of Victorian virtues (or perhaps I really mean Edwardian virtues) I think of the degree of personal accomplishment of people of that generation. Beatrix Potter, for instance, or Agatha Christie.

I read Christie's autobiography a few years back, and it seems during WWI, she volunteered as a pharmacist and learned all about poisons, which came in very handy for her career as a writer of murder mysteries.

Later she married and archeologist, which also helped to provide the background for many of her mysteries.

I truly believe that people were far more cultivated back then, and agree with those who say that "the New Victorians" sound like a rather shallow trend.

>You get to the point where you just are bored out of your mind with going out. Making dinner at home, having friends over, nesting, cocooning -- it becomes a lot more interesting. You know?

A-MEN! I'm a paleo-Vic married to a neo-Vic. (She might recoil at that label, but not the substance of it.) We'd rather be boiled in oil than go out to the latest hot Dallas bars and restaurants, where the beautiful and vapid congregate.

And yes, we're in the middle of having two bathrooms redone . . .

This article sort of describes my wife and I, though we're more like Rod's friends. I'm 30, she's 27, we got married a year ago and just bought our first house in intown Atlanta. But I'm a grad student, she's a high school teacher, and we don't have the money these people apparently have. .

Incidentally, we both met in a liberal Catholic organization, the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. The organization's belief in social justice is liberal, by American standards. But JVC's other values of commmunity, spirituality and simplicity are up Rod's alley.

I wonder how "crunchy libs" like us might fruitfully interact with "crunchy cons."

But there IS an implicit comfort and bland consumerism to some of this NV thing. It comes off as a bit more of a style than a result of conviction.

>>“And because the world has changed, we’ve tried to leap to our parents’ level of success right after school, rather than trying to figure out who we are and make mistakes.”

This quote doesn't strike me as either traditional or crunchy. Sounds to me like these folks are setting themselves up for disapointment. Simply posessing a spouse, a child and a mortgage does not a success make. If these people stick with their marriages/families when the going inevitably gets rough, then they might be on to something.

I could see her deliberately eliding the two.

And serve them with fava beans and a nice Chianti.

"Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup."

The next step up from being a New Victorian is being a YAWN.

So there really is such a group called "crunchy libs", or is it only for the purposes of the blog?

Heh, I guess I'm rather New Victorian myself. More than ready to settle down, but a tour in Iraq is in my orders. Again. Pray that it won't be the threatened 15 months, I am not getting any younger and I have many things to accomplish in life. Like a home, and a husband, and children. As the Beatles said, "Who could ask for more?"

I thought it was striking that the first couple mentioned, profiled as being so quaint and Victorian are, to use Victorian terminology, living in sin.