Youth and authority
Subtitle: formative experiences in England, 1560-1640
By: Paul Griffiths.
Publisher: Clarendon Press; Oxford University Press
Published: 1996
Place of publication: Oxford; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 459
Subjects: Youth -- England -- History -- 16th century.; Youth -- England -- History -- 17th century.; Authority -- History -- 16th century.; Authority -- History -- 17th century.
Description: It is now well known that there was a separate age of youth in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century society (and before) but in much of the writing on this subject, youth has emerged as a passive construct of the adult society, lacking formative experiences. Paul Griffiths seeks to redress this imbalance by presenting a more 'positive' image of young people, showing that they had a creative presence, an identity, and a historical significance which has never been fully explored.

The author looks beyond the prescriptive codes of moralists and governors to survey the attitudes and activities of young people, examining their responses to authority and to the 'ideal place' for them in the social order, as understood by contemporary magistrates and moralists.

He sheds new light on issues as diverse as juvenile delinquency, masculinity, the celebration of Shrovetide, sexual behaviour and courtship, clothing, catechizing, officeholding, vocabularies of insult, prostitution, and church seating plans. His research reveals much about the nature of youth culture, religious commitment, and master/servant relations, and leads to the identification of a social milieu of 'masterless' young people.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 403-435) and index.