The Household and the Making of History: A Subversive View of the Western Past

by Mary S. Hartman

Contrary to previously-held views, this book argues that a unique late marriage pattern explains the continuing puzzle of why Western Europe was the site of changes that gave birth to the modern world. It contends that the roots of modern developments are located in history more than a millennium earlier, when the peasants in northwestern Europe began to marry their daughters almost as late as their sons. This phenomenon affords a more understandable account of items long considered as peculiar Western achievements, including the industrial revolution and mass democratic political movements.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

310 pages, Paperback

First published April 12, 2004

Reviews

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Hartman's investigation of Hajnal's research - accessible style and interesting comparative studies!

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

In her somewhat recently published treatise of early modern Western Europe, Mary S. Hartman treads relatively new ground in her arguing the causes of the birth of the early modern age in Europe and its transition to the modern age. With her several examples Hartman sculpts the idea that a late-marriage pattern in Western Europe—women getting married later in life—contributed significantly to the dawn of the early modern age. This is a diametrically opposed view to the general consensus that it was political and economic forces alone that birthed this momentous era of European history. Hartman’s argument in fact, declares that the political and economic changes that occurred in the early modern age were a result of this late-marriage pattern she discusses in depth.

Contrary to what is depicted in The Other Boleyn Girl, marriage patterns in early modern Europe were quite different than what is widely believed today. Using various civil, judicial and primarily clergical records and documents Mary S. Hartman presents a picture of an early modern Europe where a girl getting married before her early twenties is almost unheard of. In fact most non-royal women of the time were not marrying until their mid to late twenties. Hartman’s thesis is based on the fact that when women begin to marry at a later age and to live with their husbands separate from either party’s immediate family that the result is a more experienced, independent, opinionated, mature woman. Though the society of the time was still considered to be a male dominant one, it no longer was unheard of for women to enter the public forum of legal, political or social issues. Hartman uses the trials conducted in the early modern cities of Salem and Montaillou as examples of this phenomenon. When a woman marries later in life she usually has some world experience, she is relatively self-sufficient and she knows her own wants and desires in life a little better.

Though at times her book is almost painfully boring and difficult to get through, her tedious research has certainly left its mark upon her work. Though this may not be an easily approached book regarding women’s issues, it is certainly a thoroughly academic (sometimes too academic) example of what ought to be canonized in the annals of civil rights, and especially women’s civil rights and studies, scholarship and history. Though difficult to grasp, Hartman’s work is thorough, well researched, well thought out and convincing. As is the case in deciphering and interpreting history, the question of how did “x” fact come about, and how does it relate to “y” fact is difficult to answer succinctly and clearly. Hartman deftly deals with this issue in illuminating this oft-neglected but newly emerging period and aspect of European history. Hartman with her book has successfully added her name to the various scholars of the past that are clamoring for a reason as to how western society emerged as it did and how does it affect the societies of today. This issue of women’s late-marriage patterns, their reasons for marrying late and the societal repercussions of these seemingly trivial decisions is still in need of debate but credit should be given to Mary S. Hartman for forging a path through this new facet of history, specifically women’s history.

[Sarah]

read it for a class, but was actually very interesting. It made me look at relationships and society in the West in a different way