"Social life for the middle and upper classes of the Victorian and Edwardian eras pivoted around a regular calendar of events-'the season'. Leonore Davidoff probes beneath the glitter and ceremony of these social events to reveal that they were much more than an enjoyable way of filling in time-they were also a highly effective way of linking family life with public life and allocating a 'place' and 'position' to people in society." (taken from back cover)