Women in Eighteenth Century Europe

Natalie Zemon Davis, Princeton University

This is a comprehensive and deeply perceptive study of women’s experience across the European continent into Russia and the Ottoman Islamic East. Its richly learned exploration of women’s lives across religions and cultures offers a persuasive argument for the reality of early modern Europe as 'Big Europe'. This is a landmark work.

Madeline Zilfi, University of Maryland

Was the century of Voltaire also the century of women?  In the eighteenth century changes in the nature of work, family life, sexuality, education, law, religion, politics and warfare radically altered the lives of women. Some of these developments caused immense confusion and suffering; others greatly expanded women’s opportunities and worldview – long before the various women’s suffrage movements were more than a glimmer on the horizon.  This study pays attention to queens as well as commoners; respectable working women as well as prostitutes; women physicists and mathematicians as well as musicians and actresses; feminists as well as their critics.  The result is a rich and morally complex tale of conflict and tragedy, but also of achievement.  

The book deals with many regions and topics often under-represented in general surveys of European women, including coverage of the Balkans and both European Turkey and Anatolia, of Eastern Europe, of European colonial expansion (particularly the slave trade) and of Muslim, Eastern Orthodox, and Jewish women’s history. Bringingall of Europe into the narrative of early modern women’s history challenges many received assumptions about Europe and women in past times, and provides essential background for dealing with issues of diversity in the Europe of today.

• Importantly, this title expands on the traditional view of Europe and concentrates on Ottoman and Russian regions as well as more typically studied Western Europe
• Contains a specific chapter on revolution and reform in womens' lives
• Comprehensive coverage of the life-cycle, and of women and wealth, culture and religion

Was the century of Voltaire also the century of women? In the eighteenth century changes in the nature of work, family life, sexuality, education, law, religion, politics and warfare radically altered the lives of women. Some of these developments caused immense confusion and suffering; others greatly expanded women's opportunities and worldview - long before the various women's suffrage movements were more than a glimmer on the horizon. This study pays attention to queens as well as commoners; respectable working women as well as prostitutes; women physicists and mathematicians as well as musicians and actresses; feminists as well as their critics. The result is a rich and morally complex tale of conflict and tragedy, but also of achievement.

The book deals with many regions and topics often under-represented in general surveys of European women, including coverage of the Balkans and both European Turkey and Anatolia, of Eastern Europe, of European colonial expansion (particularly the slave trade) and of Muslim, Eastern Orthodox, and Jewish women's history. Bringing all of Europe into the narrative of early modern women's history challenges many received assumptions about Europe and women in past times, and provides essential background for dealing with issues of diversity in the Europe of today.

Madeline Zilfi, University of Maryland

Was the century of Voltaire also the century of women?  In the eighteenth century changes in the nature of work, family life, sexuality, education, law, religion, politics and warfare radically altered the lives of women. Some of these developments caused immense confusion and suffering; others greatly expanded women’s opportunities and worldview – long before the various women’s suffrage movements were more than a glimmer on the horizon.  This study pays attention to queens as well as commoners; respectable working women as well as prostitutes; women physicists and mathematicians as well as musicians and actresses; feminists as well as their critics.  The result is a rich and morally complex tale of conflict and tragedy, but also of achievement.  

Natalie Zemon Davis, Princeton University

This is a comprehensive and deeply perceptive study of women’s experience across the European continent into Russia and the Ottoman Islamic East. Its richly learned exploration of women’s lives across religions and cultures offers a persuasive argument for the reality of early modern Europe as 'Big Europe'. This is a landmark work.

Madeline Zilfi, University of Maryland

Was the century of Voltaire also the century of women?  In the eighteenth century changes in the nature of work, family life, sexuality, education, law, religion, politics and warfare radically altered the lives of women. Some of these developments caused immense confusion and suffering; others greatly expanded women’s opportunities and worldview – long before the various women’s suffrage movements were more than a glimmer on the horizon.  This study pays attention to queens as well as commoners; respectable working women as well as prostitutes; women physicists and mathematicians as well as musicians and actresses; feminists as well as their critics.  The result is a rich and morally complex tale of conflict and tragedy, but also of achievement.  

The book deals with many regions and topics often under-represented in general surveys of European women, including coverage of the Balkans and both European Turkey and Anatolia, of Eastern Europe, of European colonial expansion (particularly the slave trade) and of Muslim, Eastern Orthodox, and Jewish women’s history. Bringingall of Europe into the narrative of early modern women’s history challenges many received assumptions about Europe and women in past times, and provides essential background for dealing with issues of diversity in the Europe of today.

Madeline Zilfi, University of Maryland

Was the century of Voltaire also the century of women?  In the eighteenth century changes in the nature of work, family life, sexuality, education, law, religion, politics and warfare radically altered the lives of women. Some of these developments caused immense confusion and suffering; others greatly expanded women’s opportunities and worldview – long before the various women’s suffrage movements were more than a glimmer on the horizon.  This study pays attention to queens as well as commoners; respectable working women as well as prostitutes; women physicists and mathematicians as well as musicians and actresses; feminists as well as their critics.  The result is a rich and morally complex tale of conflict and tragedy, but also of achievement.  

1. Hierarchy and Difference

2. Families

3. Sexuality and Reproduction

4. Food and Consumption

5. Work and Money

6. Paths of the Spirit

7. Cultures of Women

8. Civil Society and the State

9. Age of Revolutions

Conclusion

Notes

Further Reading

Bibliography

Index