Re-Visiting Downton Abbey

Since six seasons of Downton Abbey weren't enough for us, we now have Downton Abbey, the movie.  The Crawleys are back with their staff, estate, and ever-evolving intrigues that are oh so proper and British.  There's just something about large castles in quiet pastoral settings and formal dinners waited on by servants in coattails and white gloves.  It's a window into another time and culture in which everyone knew his or her place in a stifling class system.

If you're a fan of the show or the movie and are interested in all things Downton Abbey, there are a number of items that can be checked out from the library for your reading or viewing pleasure:

• The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton  New York's elite in the 1910s live in a world of etiquette and strict social conventions that don't include nonconformist women.
• Downton Abbey, Seasons 1-6 DVD  The original source and best place to start.  Get to know the Crawley family beginning in the 1910s, shortly after the heirs of the estate perish in the sinking of the RMS Titanic.  
• The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy  Three generations of an upper middle class British family are presented from the 1870s to the 1920s.
• Howard's End by E. M. Forster  In the early 1900s, two families dispute over which will inherit a home in the English countryside.
• The Manners of Downton Abbey DVD  Shows the roles and responsibilities of the nobility in contrast to those living a life in service.
• Parade's End DVD  Focuses on a love triangle--an aristocrat, his socialite wife, and a suffragette--in England during the Edwardian era.

So, get out your hats and cravats, sip your tea, and enjoy your journey to the past.  Is there a better way to begin the fall season?

Prim and properly yours from the perch.