Women According to Men: The World of Tudor-Stuart Women [Paperback]

Suzanne W. Hull (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 26, 1996 | ISBN-10: 0761991204 | ISBN-13: 978-0761991205

What was it like to be a woman when England was ruled by a queen, but women had almost no legal power? When marriage cost women their property rights? When the ideal woman was rarely seen and never heard in public? In other words, what was it like to be a woman in England between 1525 and 1675? Suzanne Hull, in Women According to Men answers these questions and more, taking fascinating look at how women were described, and prescribed to act, by men during that time. Hull, the first woman ever appointed as a Principal Officer at the Huntington Library as well as the author of Chaste, Silent and Obedient, uses her years of experience researching 16th- and 17th-century texts to provide you with an authentic look at the state of women during the Elizabethan era. Through an examination of texts written during that time about and for women, Hull elucidates what the rules for women were then, as well as discussing health habits, household remedies, theories on conception, the care of children, the making of food, fashion and more.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Suzanne Hull notes in her preface that the goal of this book is to provide an introduction to the world of English women during the period between 1525 and 1675 as represented in publications of this same time period that were authored by men. Hull has been very successful in achieving her goal. While this book is very suitable for use in undergraduate level instruction, it is valuable to scholars in early modern European Women's Studies and Tudor-Stuart English history as well. (Joseph S. Freedman Sixteenth Century Journal )

About the Author

Suzanne W. Hall is the author of Chaste, Silent & Obedient and was the principal officer of the Huntington Library, Art Gallery, and Botanical Gardens.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Altamira Press (March 26, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761991204
• ISBN-13: 978-0761991205
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,319,448 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars According to the Author, May 27, 2000

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"redaurella" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Women According to Men: The World of Tudor-Stuart Women (Paperback)

The stated goal of this book is to introduce readers to the world of English women in the Tudor and Stuart periods, using the written words of men at that time. Hull makes the point that most books were written by men, and few enough women could read. That means the sources she has focussed on - 'lifestyle guides' as we might call them now, dealing with issues such as health, rules for wives and daughters, sex, child care, and cooking - are of limited help in telling us what women's lives were really like. At times the book reads like a study in misogyny, with women being derided, scolded, and lectured by the male authors of the period. While the extracts make interesting reading, I found the author's voice intrusive, as she makes anachronistic comments about the advice given in the books. Overall I would have preferred more direct extracts and less comment. However it is a useful collection of sources for the period.