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Just a Housewife: The Rise and Fall of Domesticity in America
Contributor(s): Matthews, Glenna (Author), Matthews, Glenna (Preface by)

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 ISBN: 0195059255     ISBN-13: 9780195059250
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
OUR PRICE: $46.54  

Binding Type: Paperback - See All Available Formats & Editions
Published: May 1989
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Annotation: This volume depicts the changing attitudes towards domesticity in this country, from widespread reverence for the home in the nineteenth century to the lack of respect and attention that house-wives have received and continue to receive in this century. Examining novels, letters, popular magazines, and cookbooks, Matthews argues that the culture of professionalism in the late nineteenth century and the culture of consumption that came to fruition in the 1920s combined to kill off the "cult of domesticity".
Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- History | United States - General
- Social Science | Women's Studies
Dewey: 305.420
LCCN: 86033318
Physical Information: 0.73" H x 5.56" W x 8.56" L (0.89 lbs) 304 pages
Themes:
- Chronological Period - 19th Century
- Chronological Period - 20th Century
- Sex & Gender - Feminine
Features: Bibliography, Index, Table of Contents
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:
Housewives constitute a large section of the population, yet they have received very little attention, let alone respect. Glenna Matthews, who herself spent many years as just a housewife before becoming a scholar of American history, sets out to redress this imbalance.
While the male world of work has always received the most respect, Matthews maintains that widespread reverence for the home prevailed in the nineteenth century. The early stages of industrialization made possible a strong tradition of cooking, baking, and sewing that gave women great
satisfaction and a place in the world. Viewed as the center of republican virtue, the home also played an important religious role. Examining novels, letters, popular magazines, and cookbooks, Matthews seeks to depict what women had and what they have lost in modern times. She argues that the
culture of professionalism in the late nineteenth century and the culture of consumption that came to fruition in the 1920s combined to kill off the cult of domesticity. This important, challenging book sheds new light on a central aspect of human experience: the essential task of providing a
society's nurture and daily maintenance.
 
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