Author:
Jackson, Lee, 1971-
ImprintNew Haven : Yale University Press, [2019]
Descriptionxii, 304 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm
Note:Introduction, or, Expensive and dangerous amusements -- I. The gin palace, or, The abodes of suicide -- II. The free-and-easy, or, The glorious Apollo -- III. The music hall, or, He slept on the piano -- IV. The dancing-room, or, The way of the whirled -- V. The pleasure garden, or, The midnight roysterers -- VI. The exhibition ground, or, The city of side-shows -- VII. The seaside, or, A triumphal car for Neptune -- VIII. The football field, or, To brutalise the game -- Conclusion, or, The murderer of thought.
Bibliography Note:Includes bibliographical references (pages 287-296) and index.
Note:The Victorians invented mass entertainment. As the nineteenth century's growing industrialized class acquired the funds and the free time to pursue leisure activities, their desires were satiated by determined entrepreneurs building new venues for popular amusement. Contrary to their reputation as dour, buttoned-up prudes, the Victorians reveled in these newly created "palaces of pleasure." In this vivid, captivating book, Lee Jackson charts the rise of well-known institutions such as gin palaces, music halls, seaside resorts and football clubs, as well as the more peculiar thrills of the pleasure-garden and international expo, from parachuting monkeys to human zoos. He explores how vibrant mass entertainment came to dominate leisure time and how the attempts of religious groups and secular improvers to curb "immorality" in the pub, music hall, and dance hall faltered in the face of commercial success. The Victorians' unbounded love of leisure created a nationally significant and influential economic force: the entertainment industry.
