Gender, Obedience, and Authority in Sixteenth-Century Women's Letters

This article examines obedience and authority through the lens of sixteenth-century women's correspondence as a way of unlocking the gendered nature of deferential behavioral codes and social attitudes in early modern England. Above all, it is interested in looking at women's status and pl...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Daybell, James (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Sixteenth Century Journal Publishers, Inc. 2010
In: The sixteenth century journal
Year: 2010, Volume: 41, Issue: 1, Pages: 49-67
Online Access: Volltext (JSTOR)
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Parallel Edition:Non-electronic
Description
Summary:This article examines obedience and authority through the lens of sixteenth-century women's correspondence as a way of unlocking the gendered nature of deferential behavioral codes and social attitudes in early modern England. Above all, it is interested in looking at women's status and place within the household, the ways in which familial relationships (and indeed the writing of letters) could encourage the formation of habits of submissiveness and furnish individuals with a language of subordination as well as sponsor ties of familial loyalty which privileged the collective interests of the family over those of the individual. Conversely, it demonstrates how social position might bequeath women significant power and influence both within the family and on the wider political stage and generate respect for legitimate female authority more broadly.
ISSN:2326-0726
Contains:Enthalten in: The sixteenth century journal