Book No. 51 of 2020
This was a very “on brand” book for me: feminism through a historian’s lens? Yes please! It was overall an enjoyable, insightful read, though I was surprised by how much of it focused on modern pop culture, drawing a connection of “too muchness” from Victorian etiquette manuals to modern day figures like Cardi B and Britney Spears, and characters like Leslie Knope and Liz Lemon. Literary references also abound, which is very delightful and grounding if you are a voracious reader (or at least someone who remembers some of the characters you studied in high school English).
The book also draws heavily on the author’s own life, and she uses her own life experiences to discuss the aspects of “too muchness” she analyzes in literature and history. This framing reminds us that we are not totally removed from the expectations and restrictions she writes about, and that we are still subject to many of the same biases that determined Victorian-era social norms.
Similar Reads
This books pairs really well, imho, with Rebecca Traister’s All the Single Ladies.
I also thought this was extremely similar in theme to Lindy West’s The Witches Are Coming, which focuses on a broader array of topics but has a lot of overlap with Too Much, and a similar attitude.
I was also reminded of Catherine Hewitt’s The Mistress of Paris (which is clearly structured as a biography, but does demonstrate historical social norms and gender expectations that still exist in some form today).