Singlewomen in the European Past, 1250-1800.
- 1st ed.
- 1 online resource (365 pages)
Intro -- Singlewomen in the European Past, 1250-1800 -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- 1. A Singular Past -- 2. Singlewomen in Medieval and Early Modern Europe: The Demographic Perspective -- 3. "It Is Not Good That [Wo] man Should Be Alone": Elite Responses to Singlewomen in High Medieval Paris -- 4. Single by Law and Custom -- 5. Sex and the Singlewoman -- 6. Transforming Maidens: Singlewomen's Stories in Marie de France's Lais and Later French Courtly Narratives -- 7. Having Her Own Smoke: Employment and Independence for Singlewomen in Germany, 1400-1750 -- 8. Singlewomen in Early Modern Venice: Communities and Opportunities -- 9. Marital Status as a Category of Difference: Singlewomen and Widows in Early Modern England -- 10. The Sapphic Strain: English Lesbians in the Long Eighteenth Century -- 11. Singular Politics: The Rise of the British Nation and the Production of the Old Maid -- Appendix: Demographic Tables -- List of Contributors -- Index.
Despite the significant number of never-married laywomen in medieval and early modern Europe, the study of their role and position in that society has been very limited. Singlewomen in the European Past opens up this group for further investigation.
9780812200218
Single women-Europe-History. Single women-Europe-Social conditions. Single women-Europe-Economic conditions. Sex role-Europe-History.