Clare A. Lyons, Sex among the Rabble: An Intimate History of Gender & Power in the Age of Revolution, Philadelphia, 1730-1830. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2006.
by Clare A. Lyons
CATEGORIES: Cultural and Social History, Early U.S. History, Colonial U.S., Women’s History, Gender History, American Revolution, Sex History, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania History, Sex roles, Social Marginality, Race, Sex, Class.
PLACE: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
TIME PERIOD: 1730-1830
TAKEAWAY: Clare Lyons breaks the myth of a proper, Quaker early Philadelphia and argues that in the mid-eighteenth century, diverse women and men created a pleasure-seeking culture in which women could explore the ideas of Enlightenment autonomy. After the Revolution, this culture was replaced with the familiar, Victorian norm of proper, asexual women and ravenous, virile men. To demonstrate her argument, she examines self-divorce ads, birth rate, court records, and the popular press.
SUMMARY:
To come! This is a fantastic book and highly recommended book, so I want to spend some time with the summary.