Alcohol, Sex and Gender in Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe

Early Modern History: Society and Culture

by A. Lynn Martin

This book examines the effects of alcohol on gender relations in traditional Europe, focusing on England, France, and Italy in the late medieval and early modern periods, roughly 1300 to 1700. While alcohol causes physiological changes that are scientifically verifiable, the work of anthropologists reveals that much of what passes for drinking behavior and drunken comportment varies from one society to the next. In traditional Europe, as in modern Western societies, drinking led to increased sexual activity for both men and women, and it inclined men to commit acts of violence. Despite male fears of female sexuality and despite patriarchal restraints, women still consumed alcoholic beverages, sometimes in gargantuan amounts. This widespread consumption of wine, ale, or beer illustrates the importance of alcohol in traditional Europe. Alcohol was the ubiquitous social lubricant, and alcoholic beverages formed an important part of most people's diets.

Genres: History

210 pages, Hardcover

First published January 19, 2001

About the author

A. Lynn Martin is an award-winning historian, a fellow of the Royal Historical Society and of the Australian Academy of the Humanities, and a recipient of a Centenary Medal from the Australian government for his contribution to Australian society through history. Born in Iowa, Professor Martin received his education at the University of Oregon and the University of Wisconsin before moving to Australia in 1973. His publications include Alcohol, Sex, and Gender in Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe; Henry III and the Jesuit Politicians; The Jesuit Mind: The Mentality of an Elite in Early Modern France; and Plague? Jesuit Accounts of Epidemic Disease in the Sixteenth Century. In 1997, Professor Martin became founder and director of the University of Adelaide’s Research Centre for the History of Food and Drink, a position he held until 2004. Although retiring at the end of 2003, Professor Martin still keeps active as a visiting research fellow.

Reviews

[Ria Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

uni reading but why was this actually interesting??