Publisher's Synopsis
From the stern to the eccentric, from the stoical to the saucy, aunts have played pivotal roles in both fact and fiction. Drawing on archival evidence of the lives of 'ordinary' aunts and their kin alongside accounts of the aunts of Britain's best loved cultural figures including Winston Churchill and Agatha Christie, THE GREAT BRITISH AUNT explores the evolving roles of aunts from the 19th century to the present day. Who counts as an 'aunt'? Were everyday aunts anything like the celebrated aunts of literature and film? Why is the BBC referred to as 'auntie'? How did aunts hold the family together during wartime? Structured chronologically, each chapter examines key themes and traits of British aunts, encompassing embarrassing aunts, bicycling aunts, feminist aunts, liberal aunts, gossiping aunts, disapproving aunts, lesbian aunts, travelling aunts, and more. Essential reading for students and scholars of social history, sociology and cultural studies as well as anyone interested in British family life, this comprehensive and fascinating study reveals the British aunt's unique character and hitherto unappreciated contribution to society during a century of unprecedented upheaval.
