Diamonds are girls’ best friend, These shiny rocks are durable and pricey. And on Valentine’s Day, it’s likely someone’s new diamond engagement ring will pop up on your Instagram or Facebook. Most women prefer it as their val’s gift.
Many couples rely on rings to communicate their deepest feelings to each other and the world. An engagement ring is worth more than its sticker price: it tells family, friends and strangers that you are planning a wedding, you are cherished, you are an adult. It is likely the most expensive and most important object many of us will ever own, but why do we invest sentimental feelings in inanimate objects?
Turning objects into cherished items is nothing new. People have been spinning tales about why things matter to them for centuries. Think of your favourite teddy bear, your baby blanket, the hand-me-down furniture and bric-a-brac around your home. These objects may be crafted from ordinary cotton, wood or clay, but our feelings about them turn them into valuable assets. We cost them well above their price in the market place.
In the 18th-century, dozens of writers took to a new form of fiction that focused on ordinary things – coins, banknotes, shoes, carriages, dolls etc. These stories brought things to life, granting them their own voices. Today literary scholars call them “object narratives” Research into 18th century clothes has shown that reading novels narrated by waistcoats, petticoats, shoes and slippers. Georgian object narratives overflow with scandalous gossip about the foibles of humans.
The brothel is a frequent stop in these tales of circulation and the truth, owners seek to conceal from the world. And at the time, these stories became so popular that book reviewers complained about them flooding the literary market place.
By the late 18th-century, the genre had grown up to focus on children and their possessions. Children could now read books. These books instructed Georgian children to care for their things. This paved a way for other books to flourish.
On valentine’s Day, it’s all too easy to feel annoyed by couples advertising their deepest feelings with objects – or by the ever more elaborate stakes of social media ready proposals. But it’s important to remember, that we all hold at least one object close to our hearts – no matter how chic or shabby. And in this way, the stories we tell ourselves about the things we own remind us of the ways we love and are loved by others. Get that perftect val’s gift for your lover and be appreciated for life!
