Popular Cultures in England 1550-1750

Barry Reay investigates the domain of belief and behaviour in the everyday lives of the rural and urban communities of early modern England. He uses both primary and secondary sources to recapture, and understand, some of the shared attitudes and values to be found amongst these communities - though emphasising throughout the huge variety of their cultures, which could differ in locality, age, gender, religion and class. Deliberately selecting topics which have generated a sophisticated historiography in recent years, he focuses in turn on sexuality and gender; on orality, literacy and print; on popular religion; on witchcraft; on the ubiquity and multiple meanings of ritual; and on riot, order and law. The result is both fascinating and illuminating xxx; and offers a vivid portrait of the age.