Foppish Masculinity, Generational Identity and the University Authorities in Eighteenth-Century Oxbridge

This article aims to bring Oxford and Cambridge back into the debate about elite masculine socialization in eighteenth-century England. The ancient universities in this period are too often described by historians as bastions of moral stability and man making. Here, a more complicated view of the universities' role in shaping the identities of young men in the eighteenth century is presented, which takes into account the significant effect of rising student ages and generational and class tensions. In particular, the article traces the characteristics and development of foppish masculine styles among Oxbridge undergraduates, highlights their opposition to book-learning and academic regulations, and analyses the increasing suspicion which they incurred from the university authorities against the background of the American and French Revolutions.