The De-Moralization of Society: From Victorian Virtues to Modern Values

Wisdom and temperance are two of the virtues that the author discusses. She says that wisdom is the virtue that most of us would most like to have and temperance is the virtue that is most needed by our society. This book is a readable and relevant discussion of the history of our moral standards. The author is an excellent writer and she makes history come alive for the reader. She is the current authority on all aspects of the Victorian age. She writes adoringly of Victorian virtues, a set of rigid standards that spanned all classes, genders, economic classes, politics and religious groups.

Gertrude Himmelfarb provides an interesting and thought-provoking analysis of the Victorian Age. Her formidable logic, study, and sources enable her to break down the stereotypes of Victoria's Britain. In doing so, she constructs a far more realistic, fair, and honest portrayl of Victoria's reign. Do not be fooled, Ms. Himmelfarb does not simply lavish praise on the past and turn her nose up at modern culture; she provides a reasoned and valuable look at the two times.This book should be read by anyone who seeks to understand where we have been and where we are going.

I was brought up to think of all things Victorian as stuffy, repressed and backward. It was a pleasant surprise to realize that far from being a social wilderness, Victorian England and America had much about them to admire. The belief in God, country, indisputable truths, and loyalty to family were the hallmarks of the Victorians. It is regrettable that in our own time we have no constant stars to guide us as our recent forbears had. The advances in medicine and science are all good. But it sad that with all these scientific advances, people feel more isolated and insecure than the erstwhile Victorians encumbered with all the constraints of that age.

Ms. Himmelfarb remains the current authority on all aspects of Victoriana, with each of her dozen or so books explicating one aspect of Victorian England in great depth. "De-moralization" writes adoringly of Victorian virtues, a set of rigid standards that spanned all classes, genders, economic levels, politics, and religious groups -- her chapter on Victorian Jews is priceless! Heavily documented and written in "textbook" style (many footnotes, a few charts and graphs), Himmelfarb uses her Victorian books as propaganda to show how removed today's "values" are from our ancestor's "virtues." Her weak link here is in documenting the damage such change has wrecked on our current social scene, although she makes brief references. Her idealistic take on the Victorians shows them as models of excellence, charitable, hardworking, bonded, intelligent, and responsible, without dwelling on the negative aspects of industrialism, ethnocentrism, or racial and sexual discrimination. Still, the wealth of facts she has accumulated is invaluable if one does not get caught up in her conservative rantings and broad assumptions. Can we return to the best that the Victorian era offered? Himmelfarb makes it clear that this would be impossible without an organized society and a strong moral leader who could "lay back and think of England!"

At last, a readable, non-revisionist, and quite relevant discussion of the history of our "moral" system. Professor Himmelfarb is an excellent writer who makes history for nonhistorians come alive. I will never again read Keats, Shelley, Wells, or Mill without placing them in the historical context presented in this book. It is a relief to know that some realism remains in the debauched, angst-filled, revisionist halls of modern academia. This is a wonderful book!