At Home with the Georgians

The British love of domesticity—in terms of both their houses and the life that goes on within them—is explored by Amanda Vickery in this handsome three-part BBC documentary. Vickery, a professor of early modern history at the University of London, argues that the 18th century determined English attitudes about home and hearth, a point she makes by poring over diaries and letters of the era, reading portions aloud (with some passages spoken by actors in period garb). In the first segment, “The Man's Place,” Vickery focuses on the role of men, claiming that their yearning for marriage led them to become almost obsessive in planning living arrangements as well as courting mates. “A Woman's Touch” argues that women's attendance to household work spurred their talent for interior decoration. Both episodes offer some intriguing insights, even if it's somewhat debatable whether the examples offered by Vickery—whose narration often strains for an annoyingly chatty touch—prove the generalizations she draws. The final and most fascinating hour, “Safe As Houses,” delivers a wide-ranging tour of surviving homes while covering such topics as security devices, the division of space within domiciles among residents (including lodgers and servants), and various means of maintaining privacy within a crowded environment. As a contribution to social history, this series is reasonably engaging, but its conclusions are hardly definitive, and Vickery's rather mannered style might put some viewers off. A strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)