The Material Culture of Sex, Procreation, and Marriage in Premodern Europe

"This interdisciplinary anthology takes as its starting point the belief that, as the grounds of lived experience, material culture provides an exceptionally rewarding avenue of historical access to women's lives, extending beyond the reaches of textual evidence. The subjects of these original essays range from utilitarian tools used in Late Roman abortion to sacred, magical, or ritual objects associated with sex, procreation, and marriage in the Renaissance.

Together the essays demonstrate the complex relationship between language and object and explore the ways in which objects become forms of communication in their own right, transmitting both rather specific messages and more generalized social and cultural values."--BOOK JACKET.