Leisure at the turn of the century faced a social battle between a Victorian "cult of domesticity" and a fierce passion for sexual endeavors. This is the clash illustrated by Kathy Peiss in "Cheap Amusements", as well as in "An Hour before Daylight" captured by Jimmy Carter. Politics, society, and economy set the mood for interests in leisure, the nature of leisure, and therefore the leisure activities themselves. Even though Peiss describes leisure of single working-class females, while Carter's novel surrounds the family, they both share an abiding interest in leisure.
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