The Decline of Life (Paperback)

Susannah R. Ottaway

ISBN 10: 0521037921 / ISBN 13: 9780521037921

Published by Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2007

About this Item

Paperback. The Decline of Life is an ambitious and absorbing study of old age in eighteenth-century England. Drawing on a wealth of sources - literature, correspondence, poor house and workhouse documents and diaries - Susannah Ottaway considers a wide range of experiences and expectations of age in the period, and demonstrates that the central concern of ageing individuals was to continue to live as independently as possible into their last days. Ageing men and women stayed closely connected to their families and communities, in relationships characterized by mutual support and reciprocal obligations. Despite these aspects of continuity, however, older individuals' ability to maintain their autonomy, and the nature of the support available to them once they did fall into necessity declined significantly in the last decades of the century. As a result, old age was increasingly marginalized. Historical demographers, historical gerontologists, sociologists, social historians and women's historians will find this book essential reading. This is an important study of the history of ageing. Ottaway combines a comprehensive survey of existing literature with original interpretation and analysis of available data, using a wide variety of sources. Her lively and sophisticated analysis will be of great interest to scholars in British and social history. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780521037921

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Decline of Life (Paperback)
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
• Publication Date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521037921
• ISBN 13: 9780521037921
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Susannah Ottaway combines a comprehensive survey of existing literature on the history of ageing with original interpretation and analysis of available data. Using a wide variety of sources (literature, correspondence, poor house and workhouse documents and diaries), Ottaway's account of the experiences of the aged reveals attitudes in eighteenth-century England that shed light on contemporary aging issues by historical comparison.

About the Author

Susannah R. Ottaway is Assistant Professor of History at Carleton College, Minnesota.