Siblinghood and Social Relations in Georgian England: Share and Share
Alike examines the impact sisters and brothers had on eighteenth-century
English families and society. Using evidence from letters, diaries,
probate disputes, court transcripts, prescriptive literature, and
portraiture, it argues that although parents' wills often recommended
their children 'share and share alike, ' siblings had to constantly
negotiate between prescribed equality and practiced inequalities.
Understanding this unique family dynamic not only sheds new light on
gender, marriage, parenting, and childhood, but also suggests that
sibling relations stood at the intersection of early modern hierarchical
ideals and Enlightenment egalitarian ideals about the social and
political order. Historical scholarship on siblings is just emerging
from its infancy and is on the verge of rapid growth. Siblinghood and
Social Relations in Georgian England, which will be the first
monograph-length analysis of early modern siblings in England, is primed
to be at the forefront of sibling studies. The book is intended for a
broad audience of scholars - particularly those interested in families,
women, children and eighteenth-century social and cultural history. The
topic and narrative also lend themselves to a broad audience of both
undergraduate and graduate students.
