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9780754661351

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'This book thoughtfully and thoroughly examines illicit sexuality in early modern England focusing on the aristocracy and the court. Rickman finds there was more flexibility about illicit behavior in some circles than one would think only from reading the prescriptive literature. Her specific case histories of such couples as Penelope Rich and Charles Blount and Frances Howard are fascinating to read.' Carole Levin, University of Nebraska, USA 'I would recommend this book to students or specialists pursuing research in Early Modern history, particularly within the specialities of gender, sexuality, and life at court, along with those interested in the specific case studies simply for their own sake.' Parergon '... this is a well-researched, thoughtful analysis, based in a wide range of sources including family archives, state papers, legal records, and newsletters. It makes a valuable contribution to the study of sexual transgression, female agency, and aristocratic culture and society.' American Historical Review 'Rickman's work is an exemplar of how to combine narratives of continuity and change, providing a clear overall picture while emphasising diversity. Her concluding remarks, suggesting that some elite families had more illicit sex than others, are intriguing, and her call for further studies on aristocratic sexual relations in provincial England and at continental courts must be taken up. [...] There is no doubt that this is an excellent piece of scholarship that must be read by anyone interested in early modern gender, nobility and court culture.' English Historical Review '... this qualitative study becomes one of the strengths of the book, as it allows for a sense of the very palpable human drama that is inherent within the illicit affairs Rickman describes and that are effortlessly captured by that author for the appreciation of the reader. Rickman's book is a useful contribution to the history of sexuality in the early modern period...' Journal of British Studies

"'This book thoughtfully and thoroughly examines illicit sexuality in early modern England focusing on the aristocracy and the court. Rickman finds there was more flexibility about illicit behavior in some circles than one would think only from reading the prescriptive literature. Her specific case histories of such couples as Penelope Rich and Charles Blount and Frances Howard are fascinating to read.' Carole Levin, University of Nebraska, USA ’I would recommend this book to students or specialists pursuing research in Early Modern history, particularly within the specialities of gender, sexuality, and life at court, along with those interested in the specific case studies simply for their own sake.’ Parergon ’... this is a well-researched, thoughtful analysis, based in a wide range of sources including family archives, state papers, legal records, and newsletters. It makes a valuable contribution to the study of sexual transgression, female agency, and aristocratic culture and society.’ American Historical Review 'Rickman’s work is an exemplar of how to combine narratives of continuity and change, providing a clear overall picture while emphasising diversity. Her concluding remarks, suggesting that some élite families had more illicit sex than others, are intriguing, and her call for further studies on aristocratic sexual relations in provincial England and at continental courts must be taken up. [...] There is no doubt that this is an excellent piece of scholarship that must be read by anyone interested in early modern gender, nobility and court culture.' English Historical Review '... this qualitative study becomes one of the strengths of the book, as it allows for a sense of the ""very palpable human drama"" that is inherent within the illicit affairs Rickman describes and that are effortlessly captured by that author for the appreciation of the reader. Rickman's book is a useful contribution to the history of sexuality in the early modern period.."

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Johanna Rickman in an Assistant Professor of History at Gainesville State College, USA.

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