Ages of Woman, Ages of Man

by Monica Chojnacka, Merry E. Wiesner-Hanks

The collection is organized around two main principles, stages of life and gender, and is divided into eight childhood, youth and sexuality, courtship and weddings, married life, economic life, networks and communities, and widowhood and old age. The sources address the numerous and varied ways in which women and men’s notions of themselves affected their lives, and explore how accepted norms of masculine and feminine behaviour influenced social, economic, and religious change. Guided by a general editors' introduction and then an introduction to each chapter, the user will find this an invaluable reference companion to early modern gender history.

294 pages, Paperback

First published February 24, 2002

Reviews

[Denise Kettering · Rating 3 out of 5]

This introductory reader offers a chronological approach to life stages through early modern sources from across Europe. There are helpful discussion questions that would make this helpful for a group discussion. There are nice pictures and illustrations throughout that give students visual representations. The arrangement in terms of life-stage is somewhat limiting in terms of how this book could be used for a survey course, for example. On the other hand, there is a breadth to the discussion across economics, politics, religion, family, etc. Overall, this collection is an interesting collection, although the arrangement could be somewhat limiting.