Family and Friends in Eighteenth-Century England: Household, Kinship and Patronage

Description

This book concerns the history of the family in eighteenth-century England. Naomi Tadmor provides a new interpretation of concepts of household, family and kinship starting from her analysis of contemporary language (in the diaries of Thomas Turner; in conduct treatises by Samuel Richardson and Eliza Haywood; in three novels, Richardson's Pamela and Clarissa and Haywood's The History of Miss Betsy Thoughtless and a variety of other sources). Naomi Tadmor emphasises the importance of the household in constructing notions of the family in the eighteenth century. She uncovers a vibrant language of kinship which recasts our understanding of kinship ties in the period. She also shows how strong ties of 'friendship' formed vital social, economic and political networks among kin and non-kin. Family and Friends in Eighteenth-Century England makes a substantial contribution to eighteenth-century history, and will be of value to all historians and literary scholars of the period.

'The reader of this stimulating and original book finds herself nodding in recognition as various pieces of eighteenth-century society fall into place: it is hard to imagine why no one had written such a work before ... Naomi Tadmor makes the first significant advance in the history of the English family in more than twenty years ... this is a breathtaking performance, both methodologically and interpretatively... Tadmor's scope and interpretative rigor will provide an important framework for all future explorations ...' American Historical Review '... Its main contribution lies in its emphasis on the complexity of the social and familial relationships which lay behind the apparently simple social and household structure of eighteenth-century England. Though this complexity is increasingly recognised in quantitative historiography, its true extent is revealed even more clearly by the qualitative documents analysed here.' Local Population Studies 'Naomi Tadmor's Family and Friends in Eighteenth-Century England makes a useful contribution to our understanding not only of family history, but of the eighteenth-century novel, neighbourhood, and politics.' H-Net: Humanities and Social Sciences Online '... original in conception and well researched and presented ... invaluable for understanding the economic and social change that shaped early modern Britain.' Journal of Social History '... an innovative approach to the history of the family, which will hopefully lay to rest the restrictive language of previous family histories.' History 'With Tadmor's fine book, family history has finally made its linguistic turn ... This book is firmly grounded in verifiable texts, informed by the sound idea that the terms that people use constitute an important dimension of their social reality. Tadmor provides a convincing demonstration of the ways in which the eighteenth-century English language of home, friends, kinship, and family differs profoundly from meanings now assigned to the same terms.' Journal of Interdisciplinary History '... a rigorous and cogent exploration.' Oxford Academic Journals 'Tadmor's thorough analysis and contextualisation of literary and 'non-literary' sources are exemplary. Her original, penetrating, and thought-provoking study will be required reading for all historians of the family and of eighteenth century England, including those interested in Thomas Turner's Sussex.' Southern History Society