Fainting women were a pretty common trope in 19th century literature. I discuss some reasons why Victorian-Era women were likely to faint, but also explore how much of what we know about “fainting culture” might have been myth, and how much was likely reality.

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References

Agnew, Molly Elizabeth. “The Truth About Corsets: Busting the Myths.” https://thevintagewomanmagazine.com/the-truth-about-corsets-busting-the-myths/

Austen, Jane. Love and Freindship. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1212/1212-h/1212-h.htm

Dickens, Charles. The Pickwick Papers. https://www.victorianlondon.org/etexts/dickens/pickwick-0012.shtml

Goshorn, Kelly. “Swooning, a Victorian Fad?” https://kellygoshorn.com/archives/2018/04/swooning-a-victorian-fad#:~:text=Swooning%20was%20simply%20one%20method%20for%20a%20woman,a%20secret%20affair%20and%20child%2C%20may%20be%20revealed.

Lucy. “Corsets and the Victorian Fainting Culture.” https://lucycorsetry.com/2014/09/25/corsets-and-the-victorian-fainting-culture/

Morris, C. “The Myth about Victorian Women You Can Stop Believing.” https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/wellness/the-myth-about-victorian-women-you-can-stop-believing/ar-AAYbNmk

Valentish, Jenny. “The corsets are gone, so why are women still fainting?” https://www.sbs.com.au/topics/voices/culture/article/2018/03/22/corsets-are-gone-so-why-are-women-still-fainting

Valeris, Monique. “Everything You Need to Know about a Fainting Couch.” https://www.elledecor.com/design-decorate/interior-designers/a28786604/fainting-couch-history/

Vic. “The Connection Between Vinegar and the Fainting Couch: 19th Century Customs.” https://janeaustensworld.com/2012/03/11/the-connection-between-vinegar-and-the-fainting-couch-19th-century-customs/

Victorian Era. “Fainting Couch In Victorian Era.” https://victorian-era.org/fainting-couch-victorian-era.html

Wikipedia. “Fainting Couch.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fainting_couch

Wikipedia. “Love and Freindship.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_and_Freindship

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