‘An unbidden guest at your table’: Purity, danger and the house-fly in the middle-class home, c. 1870-1910
The house-fly was an inescapable part of everyday life in Victorian England, and its presence in the home was an unwelcome reminder to middle-class Victorians that for all their efforts to construct the domestic space as a pristine refuge from the external forces of disorder, pollution and dirt, the...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Presses Universitaires de la Méditerranée
2017-03-01
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| Series: | Cahiers Victoriens et Edouardiens |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/cve/3151 |
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| author | Neil Davie |
| author_facet | Neil Davie |
| author_sort | Neil Davie |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The house-fly was an inescapable part of everyday life in Victorian England, and its presence in the home was an unwelcome reminder to middle-class Victorians that for all their efforts to construct the domestic space as a pristine refuge from the external forces of disorder, pollution and dirt, there was no escaping this atavistic symbol of filth and disease. Despite improvements in public health in the second half of the nineteenth century, the preoccupation with flies in late-Victorian England intensified rather than eased. This reflected in part changing environmental conditions conducive to the proliferation of flies, but also new attitudes, particularly among middle-class urbanites, towards the organisation of public space, and the place of animals within it. This in turn reflected contemporary developments in medical and biological science; along with broader attitudes to ‘cleanliness’ and ‘dirt’. This article will examine the roots of the ‘house-fly danger’ in late-Victorian England, exploring contemporary debates in both the scientific literature and the popular press, and will discuss the surprisingly diverse ramifications of public concern about these insects. It will be argued that the growing hygienist focus on flies as airborne carriers of disease co-existed, particularly in the earlier part of the period, with older more benign, attitudes to the house-fly, linked to the theories of natural theology. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-45e1a7723dcd4a9cb60d02f6a2e38b12 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0220-5610 2271-6149 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2017-03-01 |
| publisher | Presses Universitaires de la Méditerranée |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cahiers Victoriens et Edouardiens |
| spelling | doaj-art-45e1a7723dcd4a9cb60d02f6a2e38b122025-01-30T10:20:42ZengPresses Universitaires de la MéditerranéeCahiers Victoriens et Edouardiens0220-56102271-61492017-03-018510.4000/cve.3151‘An unbidden guest at your table’: Purity, danger and the house-fly in the middle-class home, c. 1870-1910Neil DavieThe house-fly was an inescapable part of everyday life in Victorian England, and its presence in the home was an unwelcome reminder to middle-class Victorians that for all their efforts to construct the domestic space as a pristine refuge from the external forces of disorder, pollution and dirt, there was no escaping this atavistic symbol of filth and disease. Despite improvements in public health in the second half of the nineteenth century, the preoccupation with flies in late-Victorian England intensified rather than eased. This reflected in part changing environmental conditions conducive to the proliferation of flies, but also new attitudes, particularly among middle-class urbanites, towards the organisation of public space, and the place of animals within it. This in turn reflected contemporary developments in medical and biological science; along with broader attitudes to ‘cleanliness’ and ‘dirt’. This article will examine the roots of the ‘house-fly danger’ in late-Victorian England, exploring contemporary debates in both the scientific literature and the popular press, and will discuss the surprisingly diverse ramifications of public concern about these insects. It will be argued that the growing hygienist focus on flies as airborne carriers of disease co-existed, particularly in the earlier part of the period, with older more benign, attitudes to the house-fly, linked to the theories of natural theology.https://journals.openedition.org/cve/3151Victorian studiesBritish 19th century historysocial historyurban historyhistory of animalsanimal studies |
| spellingShingle | Neil Davie ‘An unbidden guest at your table’: Purity, danger and the house-fly in the middle-class home, c. 1870-1910 Cahiers Victoriens et Edouardiens Victorian studies British 19th century history social history urban history history of animals animal studies |
| title | ‘An unbidden guest at your table’: Purity, danger and the house-fly in the middle-class home, c. 1870-1910 |
| title_full | ‘An unbidden guest at your table’: Purity, danger and the house-fly in the middle-class home, c. 1870-1910 |
| title_fullStr | ‘An unbidden guest at your table’: Purity, danger and the house-fly in the middle-class home, c. 1870-1910 |
| title_full_unstemmed | ‘An unbidden guest at your table’: Purity, danger and the house-fly in the middle-class home, c. 1870-1910 |
| title_short | ‘An unbidden guest at your table’: Purity, danger and the house-fly in the middle-class home, c. 1870-1910 |
| title_sort | an unbidden guest at your table purity danger and the house fly in the middle class home c 1870 1910 |
| topic | Victorian studies British 19th century history social history urban history history of animals animal studies |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/cve/3151 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT neildavie anunbiddenguestatyourtablepuritydangerandthehouseflyinthemiddleclasshomec18701910 |