The Cultural Identity of Seventeenth Century Woman: A Reader

This anthology brings together extracts from a wide variety of seventeenth-century sources to illustrate the ways in which the cultural notion of `women' was then constructed. historical circumstances of women's lives in the seventeenth century and the cultural notions of `woman' which prevailed then. What did women and men think women should be? Over 200 extracts from books, pamphlets, diaries and letters are arranged under three main headings: female nature, character and behaviour; female roles and affairs; and `feminisms.' Each chapter is introduced by N.H. Keeble who contextualises the extracts and draws out the main issues revised. The Cultural Identity of Seventeenth Century Woman brings together extracts from a wide variety of sources to illustrate the ways in which the cultural notion of "woman" was constructed. Although the dominant ideology was unquestionably patriarchal, and many of its manifestations were misogynistic and determined to keep women in their place, it was also diverse, self-questioning, contradictory and committed to loving rather than authoritarian relations between the sexes.

Over two hundred extracts from books, pamphlets, diaries and letters are arranged under the main headings: female nature, character and behavior, female roles and affairs, and feminisms. Each chapter is introduced by Keeble, who contextualizes the extracts, drawing out the main issues raised.

This fascinating collection of opinions from both men and women enables informed discussion of the key issues of gender and identity in the seventeenth century.

This anthology brings together extracts from a wide variety of seventeenth-century sources to illustrate the ways in which the cultural notion of `woman' was then constructed. Although the dominant ideology was unquestionably patriarchal, and many of its manifestations were misogynistic and determined to keep women in wheir place, it was also diverse, self-questioning, contradictory and committed to loving rather than authoritarian relations between the sexes. The chapters are helpfully arranged by topics and each chapter opens with anintroduction which highlights the major issues and supplies a context for the extracts. This fascinating collection of opinions from both men and women enables informed discussion of the key issues of gender roles, sexuality and identity in the seventeenth century. Book Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 Contents......Page 5 Acknowledgements......Page 8 Introduction......Page 10 IN THE BEGINNING: MALE AND FEMALE......Page 14 BODY......Page 30 SEXUALITY......Page 46 MIND AND SOUL......Page 57 BEAUTY......Page 67 VICES......Page 84 VIRTUES......Page 109 MARRIAGE, ADULTERY AND DIVORCE......Page 128 WIFELY DUTIES......Page 156 MOTHER AND DAUGHTER......Page 182 HOUSECRAFT, STATECRAFT AND PRIESTCRAFT......Page 199 MIDWIFERY AND WET-NURSING......Page 222 MISTRESS AND MUSE......Page 235 CROSS-DRESSING......Page 256 WIDOWHOOD, CELIBACY AND FEMALE FRIENDSHIP......Page 265 AUTHORSHIP......Page 277 'TYRANT CUSTOM, WHY MUST WE OBEY'?......Page 293 Bibliography......Page 304 Index......Page 316 In The Beginning : Male And Female -- Body -- Sexuality -- Mind And Soul -- Beauty -- Vices -- Virtues -- Marriage, Adultery And Divorce -- Wifely Duties -- Mother And Daughter -- Housecraft, Statecraft And Priestcraft -- Midwifery And Wet-nursing -- Mistress And Muse -- Cross-dressing -- Widowhood, Celibacy And Female Friendship -- Authorship -- T̀yrant Custom, Why Must We Obey'? Compiled And Edited By N.h. Keeble. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 291-302) And Index. The practice and findings of experimental anatomy constituted the most significant sixteenth-century advances in medicine, but these discoveries made little impact upon professional thinking until very late in the seventeenth century, and they hardly affected the popular idea of the body until the eighteenth (Maclean (1980), pp. 28-9). In this anthology, N.H. Keeble illustrates both the historical circumstances of women's lives in the seventeenth century and the cultural notions of `woman' which prevailed then. Includes over 200 extracts from books, diaries, letters, pamphlets.