Reading history is almost always a way to learn something interesting, and I read all sorts of history, from historical works to historical analyses. As a writer, though, the slice-of-life history books have a particular appeal, since they include the sorts of details that escape larger “history” texts, but that are exactly what can enrich a story and make its world immersive for the reader. The Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England is a perfect example, providing the kinds of insights into daily life that might not sway the course of human events, but which give texture to history (and stories). It was for those details that I picked up How to Behave Badly in Elizabethan England.
With my predilection for ancient history, I am always a little surprised by how many mysteries there are even in more recent history. Goodman’s time period is a mere four to five hundred years ago, and yet there is much that we don’t know about daily life at the time and what the culture was like. It is to learn those kinds of details that make period pieces so useful, and Goodman took that concept a step further by examining court cases, contemporary etiquette guides, and even performing her own “experiments.” She even went as far as to experiment on herself with period clothing and hygiene practices, for which dedication I applaud her.
Her idea that an excellent way to gain an understanding of a culture is through that of which they did not approve is an intriguing one, but I’m not certain that it bore as much fruit as it could have in this instance. Maybe it’s because Elizabethan England is a relatively recent cultural context with which our own has strong heritage, but the bad behaviors Goodman highlights are largely classes of behaviors which we would still find reprehensible today, albeit with variations in the specifics. We might be more comfortable with exposed skin than the Elizabethans, but the ideals of cleanliness, however that might come about, still hold true, and foul language is still centered around private bodily functions, even if the vocabulary has evolved.
Instead, she gives us greater insights from discussing proper behavior than from the misbehavior with which she seems enamored. Details like how full-body linen clothing was a cleaning mechanism as much as a clothing mechanism and can provide a level of personal hygiene only a little lower than daily washing such as we practice today (which was one of Goodman’s experiments) are just what large-scale histories neglect and what can make a story come alive. Whether she’s writing about fashionable walking or about offensive Puritans (and it was quite fascinating to read about how and why these religious sects were viewed in England at the time, since I have mostly read about such groups after they arrived in America), Goodman offers as much a guide to good behavior as she does to bad.
Maybe that’s inevitable, since all of these behaviors are arguably relative. Bad behavior isn’t necessarily bad at a fundamental level so much as it is bad because it is not good – that is, not aligned with acceptable behavior. Thus, in writing about how to behave badly, Goodman is also writing an approachable, modern version of one of those etiquette guides which she so often references. At times, it tries to be more than it is, with broader conclusions, but it is at its best when it is giving us those small insights into daily life. It’s safe to say that you can expect some of these details to appear in future stories (not as the focus, but as a way of fleshing out the world). Also, I would like us to bring back ubiquitous hat-wearing. Perhaps we could go so far as to call this sort of book “ordinary history.” If that sort of history is interesting to you, then I think you’ll appreciate learning How to Behave Badly in Elizabethan England.
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