Richard Houlbrooke – English Family Life, 1576-1716

Reading Journal - Session 3 - 8/11/2016

Richard Houlbrooke – English Family Life, 1576-1716 – An Anthology from Diaries
 

·         offers a view into English family life through diaries

·         excludes the poor (majority of the population), however, because they did not write diaries

·         collection includes Elizabeth’s reign, the Stuart period and the dawn of the Hanoverian era

Extract: Married life and widowhood, Lady Hoby’s references to her husband and domestic activities (1599-1600)

·         itemization

·         calls her husband Mr. Hoby

·         mostly concerned with religious activities, but also cooking, paying bills, treating injured workers, visiting acquaintances

·         only listing activities one after the other, never reflecting on what is happening or going into any detail, no real narrative flow

Eextract: marital disharmony, Lady Anne Clifford’s description of her relations with her husband (1617)

·         more narrative flow following a certain kind of “plot” (her legal troubles), serialization, less of a list (after, then...), eliminating many activities to focus on her husband, still chronological

·         calls her husband “my Lord”

·         strong belief in God to grant her right, even though all men in her life persuade her to give in to their demands, she remains stubborn and trusts in God

Interesting opposition of the writing style of two women who kept a diary twenty years apart. Both seem utterly respectful in their way of addressing their husbands (“Mr. Hoby” and “my Lord”), but it is easier to get a feeling for Anne Clifford who also writes down some of her thought and beliefs, stubbornly opposing the men who have all the power over her. Lady Hoby mostly lists her activities of the day, often shaped by religious prayers and sermons, while the other activities fit in between. It is easier to get a sense of her duties and routine, but since she only notes down activities, her personality is largely a secret.