Domestic Dangers: Women, Words, and Sex in Early Modern London

by Laura Gowing

`What else is woman but a foe to friendship ... a domestic danger.' These words, taken from a biblical commentary by St John Chrysostom, are frequently quoted in early modern literature, showing that sexual morality was central to the patriarchal society of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century England. In this fascinating and original book, Laura Gowing considers what gender difference meant in the practice of daily life, examining the working of gender relations in sex, courtship, marriage conflict, and verbal disputes.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, 17th Century, 16th Century, Gender and Sexuality

312 pages, Paperback

First published April 11, 1996

Reviews

[Katheryn Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Domestic Dangers: Women, Words, and Sex in Early Modern London reads sixteenth- and seventeenth-century London church court records with an eye to the deep-rooted ideologies of gender, and the daily shape of gender relations. Given its age, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I learnt from this book, and how many new ideas it gave me to think about. Gowing is a really clear writer, and while her repetitions and emphases meant this book was probably a little longer than it needed to be, I found a lot of her explanations really useful. I also loved how modern Gowing's voice felt; this is not an author who falls into the casual misogyny of her sources. Given that Gowing gestured a few times to the contemporary relevance of her research, I was a little disappointed that her conclusion was simply a summary of her book - I know that everyone has different ideas about what a conclusion should do, but I would have loved to see Gowing bring her research forward to the present day.

I'm definitely glad that I read this one, but I have decided on three stars instead of four because the repetitions/length made it a little bit of a drag. Still worth a read though.

[Delilah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gowing just hits the spot for historical fact finding concerning women and how patriarchy has f*cked up everything.