Regency dress & the waltz (73, 81)

Regency dress describes the fashion of the early 19th Century in which style translated from somewhat plain and reserved to more extravagant attire.  The style of this fashion is best and most easily described by the photograph below.  The frock that Bernard is described as putting on is visible on the male, while the presence of several adornments on the females reflects the increased extravagance of the period.  Although not included in this specific drawing, it was also fashionable for men to wear high boots in addition to their imposing hats.  The waltz was also an important cultural aspect of the era.  According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the waltz is an intimate dance in which partners "swing round and round in the same direction with smooth and even steps, moving on as they gyrate."  Also, as noted by the characters in the text, the waltz is German.  Its German root word "walzen" means to revolve.


Although I think that both of my assigned terms have special significance in Arcadia, I think that the waltz is the more crucial term in my understanding of the play.  Thomasina and Septimus are engaged in a dance that is, by definition, revolutionary.  This adheres to the cyclical nature of time that is often pointed out by the characters and even by the action of the play, but it also makes a connection to the fact that Thomasina and Septimus are revolutionary figures in history--forgotten, but ultimately remembered and reenacted through Hannah and Gus.  Their dancing is symbolic of their existence in time and history as purveyors of change.  The connection between these characters is focused by the modern characters wearing Regency dress; even though they are separated by centuries, the similarity between the emotions and concerns of the characters in different eras supersedes the restrictions of time and space, connecting these characters on a human level.

Sources:
http://locutus.ucr.edu/~cathy/men2.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1795–1820_in_Western_fashion#Regency_.281815.E2.80.931820.29_gallery

"waltz, n.". OED Online. March 2013. Oxford University Press. 21 April 2013 <http://libweb.uwlax.edu:2141/view/Entry/225389?rskey=Lw4It8&result=1&isAdvanced=false>.