Maids, Wives, and Widows
So this a book a week thing is harder then I was thinking it would be. Finding books that aren't my normal and slowing down to be able to think and write about it...it takes some effort and time I didn't realize was needed. Also spending all day on a book makes my husband (who gets frustrated with my book reading anyway) a bit grumpy, lol.
So This book was based on English women in history between the 1570s and the 1770s. Maids (the young unmarried women) seemed to have the most freedom in terms of how they were thought of. Wives seemed to have most of the work, and widows seemed to be kind of stuck, to be honest (they paid their dues as a wife but couldn't do much with them). The book kept referring to this time as the early modern-day, which I can see, sort of. This time frame had a lot of modern-day thinking, they relied on the medical/science (of the day) and church for all their new and improved, from the home and its housewifely and chide rearing, to the health and happiness, its societal girt, gore, and glam. The oppressed started to fight back and think for themselves (outwardly), the religion went turbo speed with creating spin-offs of existing religions, and there was literate beings coming into play (although it was still heavily guarded and guided by the upper crust).
It was believed that women were atoning for Eve's blight (think bible) and thus had to be subservient to the men, and be treated like children. There were a few dozen theories passes down from the Greek/Roman philosophers about women being deformed men and such, but that fact that this time period was heavily immersed in thinking everything (and I do mean EVERYTHING) was God's will and way, the common belief was that Eve started it all and doomed the race (the initial punishment being the pain of labor...and men having to work all day).
The other major belief was that of the humoral theory. Your body needed balance in order to be (it is, after all, housing the soul) The 6 conditions were: intake, air (breathing), movement, extractions, emotions, and sleeping. So, they understood the link between eating, sleeping, and exercise is good for the body and mind. I found the fact that they had no qualms about discussions bodily fluids and bowel movements (they actively encouraged suckling of the mother's boob to keep it flowing as they waited for the "good" milk (the nonwatery starter) to flow and women's sexual satisfaction), death and birth were normal conversations as well, but what they couldn't dare talk about was the menstrual cycle. While they agreed it was important (the whole extraction thing), it just seemed to baffle them.
So these two systems that they mixed and matched to their heart's content (along with the class system and its ranking) dictated their lives. It was exploited with varying results, but ultimately it held strong and tight. Women loved, learned, worked, wept, laughed, and all in between, so I suppose, all in all, they were the early modern-day women of today (or any day, really).
So This book was based on English women in history between the 1570s and the 1770s. Maids (the young unmarried women) seemed to have the most freedom in terms of how they were thought of. Wives seemed to have most of the work, and widows seemed to be kind of stuck, to be honest (they paid their dues as a wife but couldn't do much with them). The book kept referring to this time as the early modern-day, which I can see, sort of. This time frame had a lot of modern-day thinking, they relied on the medical/science (of the day) and church for all their new and improved, from the home and its housewifely and chide rearing, to the health and happiness, its societal girt, gore, and glam. The oppressed started to fight back and think for themselves (outwardly), the religion went turbo speed with creating spin-offs of existing religions, and there was literate beings coming into play (although it was still heavily guarded and guided by the upper crust).
It was believed that women were atoning for Eve's blight (think bible) and thus had to be subservient to the men, and be treated like children. There were a few dozen theories passes down from the Greek/Roman philosophers about women being deformed men and such, but that fact that this time period was heavily immersed in thinking everything (and I do mean EVERYTHING) was God's will and way, the common belief was that Eve started it all and doomed the race (the initial punishment being the pain of labor...and men having to work all day).
The other major belief was that of the humoral theory. Your body needed balance in order to be (it is, after all, housing the soul) The 6 conditions were: intake, air (breathing), movement, extractions, emotions, and sleeping. So, they understood the link between eating, sleeping, and exercise is good for the body and mind. I found the fact that they had no qualms about discussions bodily fluids and bowel movements (they actively encouraged suckling of the mother's boob to keep it flowing as they waited for the "good" milk (the nonwatery starter) to flow and women's sexual satisfaction), death and birth were normal conversations as well, but what they couldn't dare talk about was the menstrual cycle. While they agreed it was important (the whole extraction thing), it just seemed to baffle them.
So these two systems that they mixed and matched to their heart's content (along with the class system and its ranking) dictated their lives. It was exploited with varying results, but ultimately it held strong and tight. Women loved, learned, worked, wept, laughed, and all in between, so I suppose, all in all, they were the early modern-day women of today (or any day, really).
