Giving Birth in Eighteenth-Century England / Sarah Fox.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fox, Sarah, author.

Series:

New Historical Perspectives Series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Childbirth--History.

Childbirth.

Childbirth--Social aspects.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiv, 239 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

London : University of London Press, 2022.

Summary:

This fascinating new book radically rewrites all that we know about eighteenth-century childbirth by placing women's voices at the centre of the story. From quickening through to confinement, giving caudle, delivery and lying-in, birth was once a complex ritual that involved entire communities. Drawing on an extensive and under-researched body of materials, such as letters, diaries and recipe books, this book offers critical new perspectives on the history of the family and community. It explores the rituals of childbirth, from birthing clothing to the foods traditionally eaten before and after birth, and also how a woman's relationship with her family, husband, friends and neighbours changed during pregnancy and beyond. In this important and deeply moving study, we are invited on a detailed and emotive journey through motherhood in an age of immense intellectual and sociocultural change.

Contents:

Cover

Half Title

Book Series

Title

Copyright

Dedication

Contents

List of illustrations

List of abbreviations

Acknowledgements

Introduction

1. Birth and the body

2. Birth and the household

3. Food and birth

4. The birth family

5. The community of birth

Conclusion

Appendix

Bibliography

Index

Back Cover.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

OCLC:

1311239112