Sex in Elizabethan England

by Alan Haynes

Approached through the literature and literary personalities of the period, this fascinating study examines sexual behaviour in the Elizabethan age. Although there is much we will never know, poets and playwrights can provide valuable insights into our ancestors' sexual lives. Here, with help from the work of figures such as Shakespeare, Marlowe and Donne, Alan Haynes builds up a vivid picture of of the sexual experiences of Elizabethans at all levels of society. We peep behind the bed curtains at the 'Virgin Queen' herself, who slept alone despite rumours that she was as sexually promiscuous as her mother, Anne Boleyn, and at characters such as Moll Cutpurse, a gutsy female transvestite who shocked and amused generations of Londoners in almost equal measure. The pressure of desire was profound and the author explores this to find compelling details. A unique behind the scenes study of the sex life of the Elizabethans, from courtiers to maids of honour and from citizens and their wives to drabs and pimps, this book will intrigue and fascinate anyone with an interest in the private lives of our forbears.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Tudor Period, Sexuality, Shakespeare

Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Laura Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorly cited in-text, this book glides over all facets of sexuality in Renaissance England with no depth to any. Sentences are clunky, made even worse by Haynes' complicated representation of ancestral connections at the time. The first few chapters on Elizabeth's court for instance, would have been much better served with one or two illustrative family trees. Appendices almost useless, and pop culture references inappropriate. Perhaps this book would suit those looking for a glib tabloid overview of "naughty" sex in early modern England, but this book is NOT at all scholarly or illuminating for academics of the period.

[Anna Castle · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you're looking for something in the Margaret Mead division -- a study of sexual mores and attitudes -- keep looking. This is a mish-mash of bits of history that have some vague thing to do with sexual behavior or marriage and Haynes's inane observations about culture and human nature. The author is not an historian and often seems unaware of the distinction between speculation, imaginative reconstruction, and reportage. Unless I recognize a passage as deriving from a reputable work, I have to regard it as unreliable, which makes this a useless resource, with the partial exception of the bibliography.

As if that weren't enough, he writes badly. Here's a sample chosen from the chapter about prostitution: "Unfortunately, even education is not a prophylactic when dealing with whores... This is because education engages the intelligent but allows a free-floating susceptibility to the more lurid ways of the world." Speaking as a person with two post-graduate degrees, I can only say, "Huh?"

[Brittany]

The first part of this book was a tad dry, and discussed more marriage between nobles than sex. To really understand this book one has to have some basic knowledge of famous nobles of the Elizabethan people. The second half of this book was more interesting but wish it focused on more factors of the sexual lives of the common people instead of the nobles. A little boring, and not enough generic information on the sexual lives of Elizabethans.

[G.R.S. Hjelm · Rating 2 out of 5]

So far, on page 106, I'm feeling disappointed by this book. It could have been so good and interesting, considering the proposed subject and the time period.
Instead, it's broad in subject and narrow minded. The author supposes a certain knowledge of persons, history and events, but supplies nothing to draw in readers who are not ingrained with the exact thing being implied.
On top of that, I'm getting the feeling that the author doesn't really have the most - now what would describe this best - humane empathetic opinion of women. There are hard and fast judgments of females based purely on assumptions on their gender and presumed sexual desires and actions, when at times I feel like there could very well be more mundane reasons for their recorded actions. Such as not seeing another way out of a potentially dangerous situation than play along with a male and hopefully get away. Just because it's written down doesn't make it true.

I will continue reading this, but only because I have a completion-complex and I have to finish books I start.

[Kasey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was incredibly difficult to follow. The writing is not clear at all, and the flow of ideas...well, calling it a flow is an overstatement. The author assumes a LOT about his readers' background knowledge and explains little that is necessary to understanding what he's talking about. He doesn't introduce ideas, just launches into them without considering whether they're actually relevant to the chapter. He gets bogged down in unimportant details and says a whole lot of nothing in too many words. This is a really interesting topic, but I'm walking away from this book with no new knowledge.

[Megan Rooney · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book had a very limited number of citations, making the conclusions drawn by the author seem speculative. Additionally, (perhaps in part because of lack of citation) I had a difficult time separating the 16th/17th century mysoginy from the author's.

[Joane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book for the pictures inside which are black and white (not explicit, just portraits). It only cost me $.50 at the library so I can't complain about that part. It was interesting but rather lengthy and boring mostly. I would not recommend.

[Mick Meyers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not wanting to read the book because of it salacious title,I found it rather dull and not very enlightening I carried on reading it even though I found it hard going.

[Len · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a bit of a lightweight introduction to a convoluted subject drawing in sociology, legal history, customs which may date back beyond Anglo-Saxon times, literature, morality, religion, diversity, disease. It seems too much to condense into only 166 pages without omitting important details. One is tempted to think that someone suggested, “Think of a title that has sex in it. That'll be a seller. We can always fill out the contents with illustrations, sonnets and Shakespeare.”

As far as it goes it's entertaining rather than educative. A suggestion of Monty Python “nudge-nudge, wink-wink, say no more” here and Blackadder series two “rumpy-pumpy” there. Salacious poesy taking the part of Donald McGill saucy seaside postcards or Carry On films at their most naughty but nice. I felt by the end that I had enjoyed the experience and yet found an explanation for my enjoyment obscure. If I may slightly misquote Rosalind from As You Like It, “My affection had an unknown bottom, like the bay of Portugal.”

[Caro · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the juicy gossip you could want, straight from the Elizabethan court. Fantastic.

[Jennifer Cole · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful! Entirely too many names and impertant information! As a lover and reader of all things Tudor, a MASSIVE disappointment!

[Kerry]

This book gets off to an incoherent start with very little introduction and then proceeds to bore with its awkwardly academic tone and lack of clear organization of ideas.