Everybody's Business Is Nobody's Business : Or, Private Abuses, Public Grievances; Exemplified in the Pride, Insolence, and Exorbitant Wages of Our Women, Servants, Footmen, &c.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Defoe, Daniel, 1661?-1731

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource : multiple file formats

Place of Publication:

Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg,

Summary:

"Everybody's Business Is Nobody's Business" by Daniel Defoe, is a satirical pamphlet published in the early 18th century. This work critiques the societal issues of the time, focusing particularly on the attitudes and behaviors of domestic servants and their demand for increasingly exorbitant wages. Defoe highlights the consequences of such a trend on households and society at large, signaling a concern for the decline of established norms and the resulting public grievances. The pamphlet outlines a detailed complaint regarding the pride and insolence of maidservants, who have raised their wages to unsustainable levels, thus burdening their employers. Defoe posits that this behavior has led to wider societal issues, as these servants not only undermine household authority but also set poor examples for the youth. He suggests potential reforms to regulate servant behavior, limit wages, and establish standards of dress to distinguish between servants and their employers. Through biting humor and social commentary, Defoe addresses the need for legislative measures to rectify these perceived abuses, advocating for a more orderly and respectful society. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Credits:

Transcribed from the 1889 George Bell & Sons edition by David Price

Notes:

Reading ease score: 53.2 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read.

Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Every-body%27s_Business,_Is_No-body%27s_Business

Release date is 2000-01-01