GENTLEMEN OF UNCERTAIN FORTUNE
An eye-opening examination of the life of young Georgian men
Gentlemen Of Uncertain Fortune: How Younger Sons Made Their Way In Jane Austen’s England is an in-depth examination of an area that has been somewhat neglected. Though readers are well aware of life for the sort of young ladies who populated Jane Austen’s books, similar attention has rarely been paid to the men of the household. Rory Muir’s book corrects that omission and examines exactly what choices were available to the younger brothers – the spares who came behind the heir.
In his analysis of the professions that were available to these younger brothers, Muir draws on some fascinating stories such as Sydney Smith, who entered the clergy because his father refused to fund his ambitions to become a barrister. Smith married a wealthy woman, established a school for poor girls and eventually became a noted and influential JP. Of course, Jane Austen’s own brothers make extensive appearances too, alongside William Wordsworth and a host of other names.
Muir’s work serves as a social history too, examining changing roles and opportunities in a world that seemed to be constantly in flux. After all, if a gentleman had to work for his living, could he really be called a gentleman at all?
Gentlemen Of Uncertain Fortune is an utterly fascinating book that will be of interest to scholars as well as casual historians. For those with any interest whatsoever in the complexities of life in Jane Austen’s England, it is as indispensable as it is entertaining.