A farthingale is a hooped underskirt, all the rage in Victorian England because of the way it pushed the wearer’s skirt out and gave it the appearance of fullness, and therefore made the waist look smaller in comparison: two necessities of style during Dickens’ age. Even Pip, a male, knows about this – proving that it permeated every part of life at the time and therefore is important enough that it deserves mentioning within the novel.
Source:
"Farthingale - definition of farthingale by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia." Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary. Web. 09 Jan. 2010. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/farthingale.
Photo Credits:
Farthingale. Digital image. LJ Johnson. Web. 9 Jan. 2010. http://www.ljjohnson.org/Art/Madrigal/interior/farthingale.jpg.
EDIT: The farthingale is significant because it shows the demands placed by society on citizens to conform. Women and men alike were expected to dress, speak, and behave in a certain manner - like the members of the upper class that so many wanted to be a part of. Even Pip falls victim to this desire to conform as he thinks that "the grass is greener" as a gentleman than as a common man.
how is this significant? think about your entry at the top -- why might this skirt be significant -- could it be symbolic in some capacity?
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