With the rising of the Empire, 18th century Britain went through significant changes. Politics and economy in tandem with people＇s mobility led to the emergence of new and faster ways of climbing the social ladder, s...With the rising of the Empire, 18th century Britain went through significant changes. Politics and economy in tandem with people＇s mobility led to the emergence of new and faster ways of climbing the social ladder, shaping new social groups with newly acquired needs, that is, with lifestyles quite distinct from the previously known ones. The colonies with their increasing commercial activities and their equally growing administration created innumerable jobs, some of which proved to be very profitable indeed. People from all walks of life, from either the working class or to the aristocracy, tried their luck crossing the Atlantic to start a whole new life. After the loss of the American colonies, it fell on the South Asia dominions, i.e., India, to play the role of the land of opportunity. After the Battle of Plassey （1757） and of Buxar （1764）, the East India Company was politically empowered. India was in those days seen as a land of great potential： By either means of legitimate or corrupt business, one could possibly become immensely rich in a short time. These nouveau-riches, the so called ＂nabobs,＂ also adopted many shadings of authoritarianism and ostentation thought to be common among oriental leaders; the nawabs, they were called after. Once back in Great Britain, their manners, or the lack of them, and their display of wealth upset British public opinion some much that, as was to be expected, it resulted on their becoming the object of ridicule and ostracism in periodicals, theatre plays, poems, caricatures... Nevertheless, they actively contributed to structural changes in the meaning and uses of wealth, interfered in politics and inter-class relationships, created more jobs, and were keen on experimenting new methods either in agriculture, building, or industry. This paper, though acknowledging these relevant consequences, aims at highlighting their impact on the sphere of aesthetics. The forms and textures, the motives, and the colors they adopted in their clothing, their jewelry, as well as in their architectural projects brought forth a kind of flamboyant baroque. According to Deleuze＇s notion of the baroque （The Fold. Leibniz and the Baroque, 1993）, the assertion that the nabobs unfolded new, more colourful urban and rural landscapes is certainly possible to sustain. Marian Hastings, second wife to Warren Hastings, the first de facto Governor-General of India from 1773 to 1785, was considered the epitome of the ＂nabobina,＂ a feminine nabob. So, the ensuing paper will focus on her description in Eliza Ryves＇s satirical poem The Hastiniad, comparing it with some factual data about Marian Hastings＇s style, and the Hastings couple＇s home at Daylesford, Gloucestershire.展开更多
文摘With the rising of the Empire, 18th century Britain went through significant changes. Politics and economy in tandem with people＇s mobility led to the emergence of new and faster ways of climbing the social ladder, shaping new social groups with newly acquired needs, that is, with lifestyles quite distinct from the previously known ones. The colonies with their increasing commercial activities and their equally growing administration created innumerable jobs, some of which proved to be very profitable indeed. People from all walks of life, from either the working class or to the aristocracy, tried their luck crossing the Atlantic to start a whole new life. After the loss of the American colonies, it fell on the South Asia dominions, i.e., India, to play the role of the land of opportunity. After the Battle of Plassey （1757） and of Buxar （1764）, the East India Company was politically empowered. India was in those days seen as a land of great potential： By either means of legitimate or corrupt business, one could possibly become immensely rich in a short time. These nouveau-riches, the so called ＂nabobs,＂ also adopted many shadings of authoritarianism and ostentation thought to be common among oriental leaders; the nawabs, they were called after. Once back in Great Britain, their manners, or the lack of them, and their display of wealth upset British public opinion some much that, as was to be expected, it resulted on their becoming the object of ridicule and ostracism in periodicals, theatre plays, poems, caricatures... Nevertheless, they actively contributed to structural changes in the meaning and uses of wealth, interfered in politics and inter-class relationships, created more jobs, and were keen on experimenting new methods either in agriculture, building, or industry. This paper, though acknowledging these relevant consequences, aims at highlighting their impact on the sphere of aesthetics. The forms and textures, the motives, and the colors they adopted in their clothing, their jewelry, as well as in their architectural projects brought forth a kind of flamboyant baroque. According to Deleuze＇s notion of the baroque （The Fold. Leibniz and the Baroque, 1993）, the assertion that the nabobs unfolded new, more colourful urban and rural landscapes is certainly possible to sustain. Marian Hastings, second wife to Warren Hastings, the first de facto Governor-General of India from 1773 to 1785, was considered the epitome of the ＂nabobina,＂ a feminine nabob. So, the ensuing paper will focus on her description in Eliza Ryves＇s satirical poem The Hastiniad, comparing it with some factual data about Marian Hastings＇s style, and the Hastings couple＇s home at Daylesford, Gloucestershire.
