This book investigates how sixteenth-century legal and economic structures, particularly those involving usury and credit, fundamentally shaped the representation of women in Renaissance literature. Lorna Hutson, a scholar of early modern literature, utilizes a rigorous interdisciplinary approach to analyze how humanist ideals regarding male friendship and textuality relied upon the symbolic presence of women. By examining a broad spectrum of classical, continental, and English texts, the author argues that the figure of the daughter was central to the development of early modern cultural and economic identity.

Scholars frequently cite this work as a foundational text for understanding the intersection of early modern economic history and literary representation. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which requires a strong background in Renaissance studies to fully appreciate the author's complex arguments.