Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society Drunk Victorians: Moral Panic & Meat Wine
Apr 30, 2024
Thora Hands, historian and author of *Drinking in Victorian and Edwardian Britain*, dives into the fascinating world of Victorian drinking culture. She reveals the strange allure of meat wine and the moral panic that surrounded alcohol consumption. Thora explores gendered norms, highlighting the stigma against women's drinking and their secret pub culture. She examines class distinctions in drinking, from gin palaces to medicinal alcohol, and the complex ties between alcohol, morality, and societal anxieties of the era.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Alcohol Wove Through Victorian Life
- Alcohol was integral across Victorian social classes and daily life rather than a niche moral failing.
- Thora Hands shows drinking ranged from Dickensian lunches to working-class pub culture, normalizing alcohol use widely.
Gin Craze Shaped Political Responses
- Past panics like the Gin Craze shaped later state responses and public debates about drink.
- Thora Hands links visual culture (Hogarth) and legislation to evolving fears about different drinks and public order.
The Three Ds Of Drinking Control
- Victorian debates focused on three Ds: drinker, drinking place, and drink type.
- Those three factors determined whether drinking was seen as acceptable or socially dangerous.
