Subjects
Marriage and its Dissolution in Early Modern England
Editor: Torri L Thompson
978 1 85196 784 1: 234x156mm: £350.00/$625.00
This new edition is composed of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century primary, non-fiction texts, written in or translated into English. These sources address Early Modern representations of chastity and adultery, as well as matrimony and its dissolution in both the private and public realms, including the most well known marital dissolution, that of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. The edition will be of value to literary studies, histories of medicine and law, anthropology, sociology, religious studies and art history, women’s studies, and cultural studies.
Marriage and its Dissolution in Early Modern England highlights ‘the family as the state in small’. Thus the perceived epidemic of private marital disorder was interpreted as having a tremendous impact on civil stability, a perception furthered by the Tudor monarchs’ marital complications. This collection allows for the re-examination of this tension in texts from 1530 to 1652, in sermons, domestic conduct books and religious and social arguments. Sometimes the topic was the complete focus of the text, but at other times, discussions of marital disorder appear in texts with no apparent relation to adultery, chastity, marriage, or its dissolution, an invasion of textual boundaries which testifies to its cultural prominence. These persistent references challenge current arguments that Early Modern divorce was not an option, which may have been legally true.
The four volumes allow for the reproduction of more complete materials than other anthologies on the market. Although some texts are excerpted, the selections are focused on the specific issues of chastity, adultery, marriage and its breakdown, rather than on short passages taken throughout.
- The texts are reproduced in digitally enhanced facsimile
- All texts are accompanied by a headnote containing author information where available, a brief textual history, and each text’s basic argument
- The series includes a general introduction and extensive bibliography
- Vives’s The office and dutie of an husband (1553) is included in full, the first time it has been republished
Contents
Volume 1
Henry VIII, A Glasse of Truth (1532); Thomas Abell, Invicta Veritas. An answere, that by no maner of lawe, it maye be lawfull for the moste noble kinge of englande, King Henry the ayght to be divorsed from the queens grate, his lawful and very wyfe (1532); Privy Council of England and Wales, Articles Devised by the holle consent of the kynges moste honourable counsayle, his gracis licence opteined therto, not only to exhorte, but also to enfourme his louynge subiectis of the trouthe (1533)
Volume 2
Joannes Ludovicus Vives, The office and duetie of an husband (1553)
Volume 3
George Joye, A Contrarye (to a certayne manis) consultacion: that adulterers ought to punyshed with deathe (1549); Erasmus, The Censure and judgment of Erasmus whyther dyvorsemente stondeth with the lawe of God (1550); William Tyndale, An Exposition uppon the V. VI. VII. Chapters of Mathew (1532); Erasmus, Exhortation to the Diligent studye of scripture: An exposition in to the seventh chapter of the first pistle to the Corinthians (1529); Heinrich Bullinger, The Christian State of Matrimonye (1541); Hugh Latimer, The First Sermon preached Before King Edward (1549); Hugh Latimer, A Most Faithful Sermon Preached Before the Kynges Most Excellent Majesty (1550); Thomas Bentley, A Monument of Matrones (1582); Henry Smith, A Preparative to Marriage (1591); T E, The Lawes Resolutions of Women’s Rights (1632)
Volume 4
Anon., Helpes for Discovery … in relation to some sinnes, viz. blasphemy, adultery … (1648); Edmund Bunny, Of divorce for adulterie and marrying againe, that there is no sufficient warrent so to do (1610); John Rainolds, A defence of the judgment of the reformed churches. That a man may lawfulle not onelie put awaie his wife for her adulterie, but also marrie another (1610); Martin Bucer, De regno Christi. De coniugio et divortio. English Title: The judgement of Martin Bucer, concerning divorce. Writt’n to Edward the sixt, in his second book of the kingdom of Christ . And now Englisht. Wherein a late book restoring the doctrine and discipline of divorce, is heer confirm’d and justify’d by the authoritie of Martin Bucer To the Parlament of England (1644); Anon., An answer to a book, intituled, The doctrine and discipline of divorce (1644); William Whately, A Bride-Bush: or A Wedding Sermon (1617 and 1623 editions)
Reviews
‘a valuable resource for scholars of English history and gender studies.’
– Reference and Research Book News