Libertine London: Sex in the Eighteenth-Century Metropolis

(Hardback)

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Description

Libertine London investigates the sex lives of women from 1680 to 1830, the period known as the long eighteenth century. It uncovers the various experiences of women, whether mistresses, adulteresses or those involved in the sex trade. From renowned courtesans to downtrodden streetwalkers, Julie Peakman examines the multifaceted lives of these women within brothels, on stage and even behind bars. Based on new research into court transcripts, asylum records, magazines, pamphlets, satires, songs, theatre plays and erotica, we learn of the gruesome treatment of women who were sexually active outside of marriage. Julie Peakman looks at sex from women's points of view, undercutting the traditional image of the bawdy eighteenth century to expose a more sordid side, of women left distressed, ostracised and vilified for their sexual behaviour.

Reviews

"A wide-ranging and richly illustrated guide to the fascinating sexual cultures of eighteenth-century London."--Fara Dabhoiwala, author of "The Origins of Sex: A History of the First Sexual Revolution"
"The Georgians did not invent sex but they were the first to explore publicly all its permutations. To discover more, read Peakman's frank and enticing study."--Penelope J. Corfield, emeritus professor, London University, and author of "The Georgians: The Deeds and Misdeeds of 18th-Century Britain"

Author Bio

Julie Peakman is a historian and author of many books on the history of sexuality, including The Pleasure's All Mine: A History of Perverse Sex, also published by Reaktion Books, and Amatory Pleasures: Explorations in Eighteenth-Century Sexual Cultures. She lives in London.