Didactic Literature
Didactic literature is an important theme for our anthology since this specific type of writing offers a lot of information about the specific time period in which it was written. For example, in the case of The Arts of Beauty, Or Secrets of a Lady's Toilet written by Lola Montez, we are able to learn about what women and men considered as the ideal figure in the 1800s. Didactic literature allows its readers to get a good sense of the context around which the specific piece of literature was written.
Through the process of creating this anthology, it has become very apparent just how important context is when it comes to understanding and ascribing meaning to a text. Similarly, didactic literature is important to understanding a certain time period and place, as this type of writing can provide evidence on everything from what people ate to what values were important at the specific time and location of its publication.
