Consent and Coercion to Sex and Marriage in Ancient and Medieval Societies (Dumbarton Oaks Research Library & collection) [Paperback]

Angeliki E. Laiou (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0884022625 | ISBN-13: 978-0884022626 | Publication Date: January 30, 1998

This collection of essays addresses a number of questions regarding the role of consent in marriage and in sexual relations outside of marriage in ancient and medieval societies. Ranging from ancient Greece and Rome to the Byzantine Empire and Western Medieval Europe, the contributors examine rape, seduction, and the role of consent in establishing the punishment of one or both parties; the issue of marital debt and spousal rape; and the central question of what is perceived as coercion and what may be the validity or value of coerced consent. Other concepts, such as honor and shame, are also investigated.

Because of the wide range--in time and place--of societies studied, the reader is able to see many different approaches to the question of consent and coercion as well as a certain evolution, in which Christianity plays an important role.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Angeliki E. Laiou was Dumbarton Oaks Professor of Byzantine History at Harvard University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 308 pages
• Publisher: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection (January 30, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0884022625
• ISBN-13: 978-0884022626
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,712,893 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not a book on marriage counseling, August 3, 2003

By 

Renee L. Goethe "hroswitha" (Iowa City, Iowa USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Consent and Coercion to Sex and Marriage in Ancient and Medieval Societies (Dumbarton Oaks Research Library & collection) (Paperback)

This book has been mis-categorized. It is NOT a book on sociology or social science, but one on history; specifically, the history of human sexuality.

This is a collection of articles, covering the period from Ancient Greece and Rome to Byzantium and the Latin West, and it includes a range of topics which all cluster around the subject of marriage. Students of medieval sexuality will be happy to learn of a new articles by a number of heavy hitters in the field: James Brundage produced a new piece on "Implied Consent to Intercourse"; Suzanne Wemple provided a short piece on Germanic women that can serve as a companion to her book-length work; John Baldwin included a summary of his book on the range of discourse on sexuality found in 13th century France. In addition, to round out an otherwise often neglected field on Byzantium, Laiou offers an outline on sex, consent, and coercion in the East.

As a student of medieval sexuality and an instructor of undergraduates on the topic, I'm always hunting for new material that is accessible to the more casual student while still produced in a manner that meets rigorous academic standards of accuracy. I was incredibly pleased to find this text, and plan to use several articles in my fall syllabus from Laiou's compilation. For those more generally interested in the topic, none of these pieces is written in a manner that would close out a more generalized public interest, and each provides a wonderful bibliography for follow-up study and research.