The Prospect Before Her: A History of Women in Western Europe, 1500-1800

by Olwen H. Hufton

How did women in 16th century western Europe cope with the consequences of being considered inherently sinful--as well as being legally and economically subordinate to their fathers, husbands, brothers, and sons? What might become of a woman unable to raise a dowry? What were the difficulties faced by spinsters, single mothers, and widows? In this brilliant investigation into the lives of women from all social strata, Hufton leads us from poor-house to palazzo, from cradle to grave, illuminating what it meant to be female in western Europe during the years 1500 to 1800.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Feminism, Womens, Gender, Womens Studies, 18th Century

673 pages, Paperback

First published October 19, 1995

About the author

Olwen Hufton DBE is one of the foremost historians of early modern Europe and a pioneer of social history and of women's history. She is an expert on Early Modern, western European comparative socio-cultural history with special emphasis on gender, poverty, social relations, religion and work. In 2006 she joined Royal Holloway as a part-time Professorial Research Fellow in the History Department.

Olwen Hufton is a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA) and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

Reviews

[Brian Griffith · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the finest collections of insightful studies on women's history I've ever seen.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book a number of years ago. At 513 pages excluding notes, it is a long read.
It covers all aspects of the lives of women over 300 years. Young or Old. Married or Spinsters, Prostitutes or Reformers. Queens or Working class.

The females whose bravery to face the agony of childbirth or invaders of their small villages with spines of steel and souls unbroken.

A good read.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite history books. Olwen Hufton provides a detailed history of women's lives from 1500 to 1800. She takes a balanced approach to the subject - i.e., no "all men are pigs" or "things were so much better in the good old days!" The book covers how women planned for marriage, and found a husband, dealt with married life, children, and widowhood. Ms Hufton also tells of physical abuse, women accused of being witches, prostitution, nuns, female authors, and even female rioters. I do not know of a more detailed, comprehensive book on women's history for this time period. Even better, it is easy to read and accessible. I have had a problem with some history books in that they are very dry and boring. That is not the case with "The Prospect Before Her." I highly recommend it to anyone interested in women's history, the history of this time period, or both.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really well written overview of a vast amount of material. It must be difficult to synthesise so much research but it didn't feel shallow and plenty of individual studies picked out alongside the generalisations.

Pretty depressing stuff though. Glad I wasn't alive between 1500 and 1800. Sounds like very hard work, with very few options and a lot of keeping quiet and putting up.

[Dascha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolut phänomenal! Dieses Buch ist zu einem meiner Liebkingsbücher geworden. Olwen Hufton legt in verständlicher und spannender Weise die Geschichte der Frau 1500-1800 dar und beschreibt in 12 Kapiteln die unterschiedlichen Aspekte der weiblichen Lebens dieser Zeit. Ein Muss für die Allgemeinbildung.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wealth of information, beuatifully organized and easy to read and retain. I find myself coming back to this book again and again in conversations about women's lives and women's rights. What was most startling to me was the overarching sense that not much has changed for women between the Middle Ages and now. We are still tied to this life by our sex and reproductive role; and, that what truly determines our life path is as much a matter of the economy and the social standing of the family we live within as it is one of personal choices - a difficult notion to stomach for most modern Americans. This book was a great read and an excellent research tool. Huftons evidence is vast in scope and specific in detail. An excellent work.

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely interesting, especially the parts that discuss what people's daily lives consisted of and what they had to do to make a living. Because it's about women, you get more domestic (real-life) focus than history books that talk about Great Events. Occasionally maddening, of course.

It took me months to finish only because I had to take the fall semester off from reading it.

[Margery · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as research before designing Lucia di Lammermoor. It is a very readable history of women, I learned a lot. My design was greatly influenced by the themes expressed in this book. I plan to read the next book in the series at some point.

[Gaile · Rating 5 out of 5]

We women who live in this century in the free west are VERY lucky!

[Mairi_k · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

An eminently readable survey. Persuasively outlines the rigid patriarchy of the period without ever drifting into stridency