Divided Houses: Gender and the Civil War, edited by Catherine Clinton and Nina Silber, bring two of my favorite subjects into one book. I have had a lifelong interest in the American Civil War and I love reading about gender roles.
The book brings together a number of academic essays written by scholars who specialize in gender and gender ideologies of the mid-nineteenth century. Traditionally, when we learn about the American Civil War, we learn about climactic battles, heroic soldiers, and how the war separated families and friendships. Yet, the war brought to light so many issues of society, from slavery to economic power to gender roles.
This book allows the reader to understand that, between the North and the South, there were different views of masculinity and femininity, and that these roles were shaken dramatically by the war and how people viewed the war. Antebellum attitudes toward sex, familial roles, and gender ideologies were disrupted by this first "modern war" that, ultimately, turned American societal ideals upside down.
Clinton and Silber effectively edited the essays in ways that they are categorized into relevant sections so that the reader can clearly follow the prevalent themes in the essays. Furthermore, the editors ensured that all matters of gender attitudes are covered: From gender attitudes in the African American communities, to the differences of femininity and masculinity between the North and the South, to the emergence of a "new type" of woman on both sides of the Mason Dixon Line, to a discussion of sex in the army and on the home front (talk about a taboo subject in Victorian America!).
Overall, this is one of my favorite books. Clinton and Silber provide thought-provoking academic essays by authors who have done their research and who, undoubtedly, have a passion for the subjects of which they write.
Rating: 10/10.
Link to Divided Houses: Gender and the Civil War on Amazon:
The book brings together a number of academic essays written by scholars who specialize in gender and gender ideologies of the mid-nineteenth century. Traditionally, when we learn about the American Civil War, we learn about climactic battles, heroic soldiers, and how the war separated families and friendships. Yet, the war brought to light so many issues of society, from slavery to economic power to gender roles.
This book allows the reader to understand that, between the North and the South, there were different views of masculinity and femininity, and that these roles were shaken dramatically by the war and how people viewed the war. Antebellum attitudes toward sex, familial roles, and gender ideologies were disrupted by this first "modern war" that, ultimately, turned American societal ideals upside down.
Clinton and Silber effectively edited the essays in ways that they are categorized into relevant sections so that the reader can clearly follow the prevalent themes in the essays. Furthermore, the editors ensured that all matters of gender attitudes are covered: From gender attitudes in the African American communities, to the differences of femininity and masculinity between the North and the South, to the emergence of a "new type" of woman on both sides of the Mason Dixon Line, to a discussion of sex in the army and on the home front (talk about a taboo subject in Victorian America!).
Overall, this is one of my favorite books. Clinton and Silber provide thought-provoking academic essays by authors who have done their research and who, undoubtedly, have a passion for the subjects of which they write.
Rating: 10/10.
Link to Divided Houses: Gender and the Civil War on Amazon:
Comments
Post a Comment