Handcolored woodcut two people in the 1800s in the countryside.
Art work from North Wind Picture Archives / Alamy
  • It’s a long, drawn-out affair, composed of public meetings.

  • The main characters lead quiet domestic lives.

  • The whole town feels invested in your behaviors.

  • You regularly inquire about the health of each other’s family members.

  • Strict manners and customs of the day, built around a moral duty to society, dictate your interactions and lead to amusing mishaps.

  • Clever planning is involved.

  • Includes many brisk walks.

  • Gossip helps edify listeners by determining what is and isn’t acceptable, and who has violated social conventions and decorum.

  • Romantic encounters are very weather-dependent.

  • There’s gonna be tea at some point.

  • You inform your friends—who lead tranquil lives full of cooking and evenings at home—of recent romantic developments through vividly written correspondence.

  • Much of the romantic relationship is epistolary, too.

  • Eye contact and subtle gestures play an important role.

  • You and your prospective future husband barely touch.