Title: The culture of the gift in eighteenth-century England
Description: "Offering a variety of disciplinary perspectives, The Culture of the Gift in Eighteenth-Century England analyzes the long-overlooked role of gift exchange in literary texts, cultural documents, and economic relations in the period from 1660-1800. Contributors argue that the gift was instrumental to the workings of eighteenth-century society: it supported the phenomenal rise of charities, explained the increasingly complicated trade relations, enforced conventions of obligation and social hierarchies, and both strengthened and challenged the emergence of a market economy.

Building upon the works of recent theorists, these essays provide innovative readings of how gift transactions shaped the institutions and practices that gave this era its distinctive identity."--Jacket.
Subjects: English literature, Politics and literature, Social aspects, Intellectual life, History and criticism, Influence, English language, Social classes, Generosity in literature, History, Locke, john, 1632-1704, English literature, history and criticism, 18th century, Social classes, great britain, English language, social aspects, Great britain, intellectual life
Places: Great Britain, England
People: John Locke (1632-1704)
Time periods: 18th century