Author Description
The Family Is A Major Area Of Scholarly Research And Public Debate. Many Studies Have Explored The English Family In The Sixteenth And Seventeenth Centuries, Focusing On Husbands And Wives, Parents And Children. The Ties That Bind Explores In Depth The Other Key Dimension: The Place Of Brothers And Sisters In Family Life, And In Society. Moralists Urged Mutual Love And Support Between Siblings, But Recognized That Sibling Rivalry Was A Common And Potent Force. The Widespread Practice Of Primogeniture Made England Distinctive. The Eldest Son Inherited Most Of The Estate And With It, A Moral Obligation To Advance The Welfare Of His Brothers And Sisters. The Ties That Bind Explores How This Operated In Practice, And Shows How The Resentment Of Younger Brothers And Sisters Made Sibling Relationships A Heated Issue In This Period, In Family Life, In Print, And Also On The Stage.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This work investigates the social, economic, and moral dynamics of sibling relationships in sixteenth and seventeenth-century England. Bernard Capp, a historian specializing in early modern English society, utilizes a wide array of primary sources including personal correspondence, legal records, and contemporary literature to construct his argument. He posits that while societal norms demanded sibling unity, the structural reality of primogeniture created significant friction and competition that shaped family life and broader cultural discourse.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Analysis of the impact of primogeniture on sibling inheritance and social status.
- Examination of sibling dynamics as depicted in contemporary moral treatises and stage plays.
- Exploration of the tension between idealized familial love and the reality of sibling rivalry.
Scope Limits
- The study is geographically restricted to England.
- The analysis is chronologically confined to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Historians and scholars of early modern England recognize this text as a significant contribution to the study of domestic history and kinship structures. Readers frequently note the meticulous use of archival evidence to illuminate a previously overlooked aspect of the early modern family unit.
Page Count:
256
Publication Date:
2018-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0192556347
ISBN-13:
9780192556349
History
Sociology
Family history
Early Modern
Social History