The Decline of Life: Old Age in Eighteenth-Century England

ISBN-13: 9780521815802 / Angielski / Twarda / 2004 / 340 str.

Minnesota) Susannah R. Ottaway (Carleton College

Opis

Susannah Ottaway combines a comprehensive survey of existing literature on the history of ageing with original interpretation and analysis of available data. Using a wide variety of sources (literature, correspondence, poor house and workhouse documents and diaries), Ottaway's account of the experiences of the aged reveals attitudes in eighteenth-century England that shed light on contemporary aging issues by historical comparison.

Recenzje

'This is a thoughtful and thought-provoking book. … This important book deserves the attention of urban historians and hopefully will be the touchstone for detailed micro-studies of the elderly in eighteenth-century urban England.' Urban History

Spis treści

List of figures; List of tables; Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; Introduction: old age in eighteenth-century England: no 'golden age of ageing'; 1. Who was 'old' in eighteenth-century England?; 2. The activities of the 'helmsman': self-reliance, work and community expectations of the elderly; 3. 'The comforts of a private fire-side'; 4. Independent but not alone: family ties for the elderly; 5. Community assistance to the aged under the Old Poor Law; 6. Continuity and change in community assistance to the elderly over the eighteenth century; 7. Within workhouse walls: indoor relief for the elderly; Conclusion: old age as a useful category of historical analysis; Bibliography; Index.