When gossips meet
Subtitle: women, family, and neighbourhood in early modern England
By: Bernard Capp.
Series: Oxford studies in social history
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2003
Place of publication: Oxford; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 398
Subjects: Women -- England -- History -- Renaissance, 1450-1600; Family -- England -- History -- 16th century; Women -- Social conditions -- 16th century; England -- Social conditions -- 16th century
Description: "This book explores how women of the poorer and middling sorts in early modern England negotiated a patriarchal culture in which they were generally excluded, marginalized, or subordinated. It focuses on the networks of close friends ('gossips') which gave them a social identity beyond the narrowly domestic, providing both companionship and practical support in disputes with husbands and with neighbors of either sex. The book also examines the micropolitics of the household, with its internal alliances and feuds, and women's agency in neighbourhood politics, exercised by shaping local public opinion, exerting pressure on parish officials, and through the role of informal female juries. If women did not openly challenge male supremacy, they could often play a significant role in shaping their own lives and the life of the local community."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [383]-385) and index.