Having recently watched the film The Duchess, set in 18th century Britain and portraying the life of the Duchess of Devonshire, I was struck in particular by how the lives of the wealthy are portrayed in modern films.
The Duchess, we were told, had all the accomplishments a woman of her social class should have: she was fluent in several languages, was an extremely competent horsewoman, played several musical instruments etc, etc. Despite this, we did not see her engaged in any of these activities. She did not appear to have any life at all more than her relationships, mostly with one or two suitable men and her children, and even with these men and children, she did not engage in activities, she just got emotional. Her life was ALL relationships and emotions — in fact, no life at all — actually, the most important fact of her life seemed to be that she “had influence”. That you cannot eat influence nor play with it nor pass the time with it in any way at all seems not to detract from its attraction.
Compare this film with dramatisations of, say, Jane Austen. Particularly those of the 1960s or 70s, some of which were done by Fay Weldon. In these, we see our heroines painting, reading, playing music, sewing, going visiting, going for walks, going shopping, going riding, writing letters and so on and so on. In other words, they actually had lives.
I cannot help but feel that this reflects the increasing impoverishment of modern life. In a world where it becomes more difficult to find any motivation other than celebrity, other than getting noticed, or where passion and relationships are the be-all and end-all of life, then life becomes empty.