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Courtesans Money Sex and Fame in the Nineteenth Century Katie Hickman Books

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Courtesans Money Sex and Fame in the Nineteenth Century Katie Hickman Books

As a woman, feminist and as a scholar I have always been intrigued by courtesans. I fully believe that prostitution should be legalized in the US, I think it would solve a lot of problems and help a lot of people. Human contact and sexual touch is a critical need for every human. That's what the courtesans delivered. Yes they gave sex, but the best of them were about much more than that. They were about conversation and intelligence. They listened to men, but were in no way subservient. They talked, they informed and many times it was a mutual relationship. These were women who stood out from the pack. Unlike women from "good" families and society these women were educated (most of them) and proud of it. They could hold their own in conversations and in the bedroom. They had freedom before women were free. There were downsides, as there always are, but there were also good parts to it. Personally I think women today could learn something from these women. We walk around today with most of our bodies showing, we send pictures of ourselves naked, we film sex movies at home and we put it all out there. That's not what true sexuality and more importantly sensuality, is about. We need to learn that again.


Tags : Amazon.com: Courtesans: Money, Sex and Fame in the Nineteenth Century (9780007743971): Katie Hickman: Books,Katie Hickman,Courtesans: Money, Sex and Fame in the Nineteenth Century,William Morrow Paperbacks,0060935146,General,Courtesans;Great Britain;Biography.,Courtesans;History;18th century.,Courtesans;History;19th century.,18th century,19th century,Anthropology - Cultural,Biography,Courtesans,Europe - Great Britain - General,General Adult,Great Britain,HISTORY General,History,History - General History,HistoryWorld,History: World,Modern - 19th Century,Non-Fiction

Courtesans Money Sex and Fame in the Nineteenth Century Katie Hickman Books Reviews

I dislike book titles that mislead. This book is entitled, "Courtesans Money, Sex and Fame in the Nineteenth Century." Well, two of the five courtesans documented in Hickman's book made their careers well back in the 18th century. As a matter of fact, nine of the 16 illustration plates deal with 18th century images--and one of those images features Veronica Franco, the scholar/poet/courtesan of sixteenth-century Venice. A more apt title would have been, "English Courtesans Beauty, Wit and Power," although this can be debated as Cora Pearl, born in England, made her entire career in France. The words "sex" and "scandal" have a way of selling books.

That said, Hickman gives short biogaphies of five English courtesans which are played out against the backdrop of the time in which the women plied their trade. The journey takes us from the Georgian period and into the beginning of the 20th century with the decline and death of Catherine Walters, know in her prime as "Skittles." We are given a glimpse of soirees, opera boxes, fabulously wealthy patrons, and opulent, jewel-laden lifestyles. We are shown women who used their "girl power" using their feminine attractions to make men fall to their feet and shower them with costly gifts. We see the meteroic rise and the fall of women who brokered their looks and charm; these were women who were the beauty icons and fashion trend-setters of their day--admired and envied by women, and desired by men. We see their faults and shortcomings, and what it took to become the arm-candy and trophy mistress of a well-heeled gentleman or aristocrat. Not all of these women lived into old age to live off their earnings with respectability. Harriette Wilson, the toast of Regency England, fell upon hard times when her beauty tarnished--albeit from her own excesses--and she had to blackmail former lovers that she would keep them out of her kiss-and-tell memoirs--for a price. Conspicious in her absence in this English lineup of courtesans is Lillie Langtry, the actress who snared the hearts of two English royals Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales (heir to the English throne), and Prince Louis of Battenberg.

Not the best book on the subject of the courtesan, but certainly worth having in one's library of books on the subject.
This is a well researched and well written account of a segment of society rarely covered in detail by historians. While it gives extensive details of five particular courtesans over a 150-year period of time, contrasting their beginnings, life styles, and societies of the time, the author has also included information on other courtesans as well as introductory material on the role of courtesans in the social structure.
Real courtesans were not prostitutes, as indicated by another reviewer. They held a higher place in the social structure. In a way they were mistresses, but sometimes had more than one patron. Unlike prostitutes, they were independent, i.e, they did not have a pimp or madam. They received callers of their own choosing at their own residence, or sometimes traveled with patrons.
It was helpful to be pretty, but important to be intelligent, amusing, charming, and a good companion. They preferred patrons with the same attributes, but a patron also had to have money. Courtesans tended to have extravagant lifestyles. It was not uncommon for men to provide them with a life annuity. For men, it was a sign of social status to be able to afford a courtesan, providing her with a house, a carriage, horses, jewels, money for fancy clothing, etc.
The account provides a good look at the society and politics of the time period. It also illustrates the double standard, where a married man could openly have a mistress, but a married woman involved with another man could be turned out into the street in the middle of the night to live or die.
For a look at a French courtesan, see the motion picture "Camille," although be forewarned that the motion picture has a sad ending that may make you cry. For something more upbeat, the motion picture "Gigi" is about a young woman being trained by her grandmother to be a courtesan. For contrast, the motion picture "Irma La Douce" is a lighthearted look at a French prostitute. All of these are set in Paris.
As a woman, feminist and as a scholar I have always been intrigued by courtesans. I fully believe that prostitution should be legalized in the US, I think it would solve a lot of problems and help a lot of people. Human contact and sexual touch is a critical need for every human. That's what the courtesans delivered. Yes they gave sex, but the best of them were about much more than that. They were about conversation and intelligence. They listened to men, but were in no way subservient. They talked, they informed and many times it was a mutual relationship. These were women who stood out from the pack. Unlike women from "good" families and society these women were educated (most of them) and proud of it. They could hold their own in conversations and in the bedroom. They had freedom before women were free. There were downsides, as there always are, but there were also good parts to it. Personally I think women today could learn something from these women. We walk around today with most of our bodies showing, we send pictures of ourselves naked, we film sex movies at home and we put it all out there. That's not what true sexuality and more importantly sensuality, is about. We need to learn that again.