Synopses & Reviews
The American South before the Civil War was the site of an unprecedented social experiment in women's education. The South offered women an education explicitly designed to be equivalent to that of men, while maintaining and nurturing the gender conventions epitomized by the ideal of the Southern belle. This groundbreaking work provides us with an intimate picture of the entire social experience of antebellum women's colleges and seminaries in the South, analyzing the impact of these colleges upon the cultural construction of femininity among white Southern women, and their legacy for higher education.
Christie Farnham investigates the contradiction involved in using a male-defined curricula to educate females, and explores how educators denied these incongruities. She also examines the impact of slavery on faculty and students. The emotional life of students is revealed through correspondence, journals, and scrapbooks, highlighting the role of sororities and romantic friendships among female pupils. Farnham ends with an analysis of how the end of the Civil War resulted in a failure to keep up with the advances that had been achieved in women's education.
The most comprehensive history of this brief and unique period of reform to date, The Education of the Southern Belle is must reading for anyone interested in women's studies, Southern history, the history of American education, and female friendship.
Review
"A highly readable investigation of [the] mores and systems of education that prepared women for a life of the mind, while at the same time indoctrinating them for conventional roles as wives and mothers." -Booklist,
Review
"Farnham has uncovered a wealth of information about a virtually untouched topic."
-Joan Hoff,Professor of History, Indiana University, Co-editor, The Journal of Women's History
Synopsis
This general survey of medieval European economy, society, and culture is intended as a first guide to the subject for college students. In writing
The Medieval Experience, Jill Claster has been particularly concerned to demonstrate the vitality and diversity that the world of the Middle Ages achieved, despite the fact that "the physical aspects of life were exceedingly difficult." This very usable and accessible textbook is enhanced by illustrations and source quotations which help convey a sense of the period's historical texture.
The range of topics explored is extensive. Economic factors such as progress in agriculture and the growth of commerce are thoroughly examined, as are the political and social histories of feudal Europe. Claster loks particularly closely at monasticism, the cultural influence of religion, and the revival of learning. She probes the problems faced by Jews in a predominantly Christian society, and contemplates as well the problems faced by women.
About the Author
Founder of The Journal of Women's History, Christie Ane Farnham is Associate Professor of History at Iowa State University. Currently at work on a history of African American women, she is the author of The Education of the Southern Belle: Higher Education in the Antebellum South, also available from NYU Press.