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This was written in 1847, well after dueling had fallen out of fashion, and well after the USA had begun to develop its own distinctly American cultural identit
by nerdponx 4y ago
This was written in 1847, well after dueling had fallen out of fashion, and well after the USA had begun to develop its own distinctly American cultural identity. So it sounds like this was meant to be a "fun lighthearted history" book, rather than a documentation of how people actually behaved in the 1840s. Not unlike my favorite bathroom reader of all time, The Strange Laws Of Old England.
- bryanrasmussen 4y agoAccording to Mark Twain in Pudd'nhead Wilson the 1850s was a time when 'The people took more pride in the duel than in all the other events put together, perhaps.'
- nerdponx 4y agoI stand corrected!
- penguinvondoom 4y agoDuelling was very much going on in the mid 19th century, tho ...
- bravura 4y agoEye gouging remained quite popular in America through the 1800s
- JamesSwift 4y agoThe subtitle of the book includes "with amusing anecdotes illustrative of dueling" so I think it was definitely a whimsical look back in time.