Why read Women in Early Modern England 1550-1720?

Book cover of Women in Early Modern England 1550-1720

Book description

This is an original, accessible, and comprehensive survey of life as it was experienced by most Englishwomen during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The authors examine virtually all aspects of women's lives: female life-stages from birth to death; the separate culture of women, including female friendship and feminist consciousness; the…

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European history

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Why read it?

1 author picked Women in Early Modern England 1550-1720 as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Bernard Capp

Author

If you’re looking for a balanced and warm-hearted ‘cradle to grave’ survey of women’s lives in the past, I think this is the best.

The authors describe the experiences shared by all women, and explain the huge gulf in other areas of life between the worlds of rich and poor. As well as the obvious themes of childhood, courtship, marriage, parenting, and old age, they explore women’s work (both paid and unpaid), their friendships and cultural lives, and their involvement with politics and religion.

And I love the fifty well-chosen illustrations that bring each of these topics to life.

From Bernard's list on The best books on women in early modern England: shrews or sheep?.