Product Description

Approached through the literature and literary personalities of the period, this fascinating study examines sexual behaviour in the Elizabethan age. Although there is much we will never know, poets and playwrights can provide valuable insights into our ancestors' sexual lives. Here, with help from the work of figures such as Shakespeare, Marlowe and Donne, Alan Haynes builds up a vivid picture of of the sexual experiences of Elizabethans at all levels of society. We peep behind the bed curtains at the 'Virgin Queen' herself, who slept alone despite rumours that she was as sexually promiscuous as her mother, Anne Boleyn, and at characters such as Moll Cutpurse, a gutsy female transvestite who shocked and amused generations of Londoners in almost equal measure. The pressure of desire was profound and the author explores this to find compelling details. A unique behind the scenes study of the sex life of the Elizabethans, from courtiers to maids of honour and from citizens and their wives to drabs and pimps, this book will intrigue and fascinate anyone with an interest in the private lives of our forbears.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #352206 in Books
• Published on: 2006-05-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 264 pages

About the Author
Alan Haynes has also written The Elizabethan Secret Services and The Gunpowder Plot.

Customer Reviews

An entertaining read, but....
Firstly this is a very entertaining read, so if you're looking for something fairly light that will keep the pages turning, this works admirably. However, Haynes takes a very literal view of Renaissance literature and translates poetry and plays as if they are autobiography and therefore completely true and realistic to life. In that sense, this lacks a sense of Renaissance thought about both gender and sexuality and re-writes a foreign thought-world as if it were our own.
That said, this doesn't pretend to be a scholarly or academic work so don't take it too seriously and enjoy what's there.

Sex in Elizabethan England
This book is well worth reading by anyone fascinated with the Elizabethan era. It is informative and gives lots of little extras.