The Decline of Life Old Age in Eighteenth-Century England [Paperback]

This book presents an important study of the history of ageing.The Decline of Life is an important new study of the history of ageing. Susannah Ottaway combines a comprehensive survey of existing literature on the subject with original interpretation and analysis of available data, using a wide variety of sources--literature, correspondence, poor house and workhouse documents and diaries. She illuminates the condition of the old, their experience, attitudes to them in eighteenth-century England and sheds light on contemporary ageing by historical comparison. Her lively and sophisticated analysis will be of great interest to scholars in British and social history.The Decline of Life is an important new study of the history of ageing. Susannah Ottaway combines a comprehensive survey of existing literature on the subject with original interpretation and analysis of available data, using a wide variety of sources--literature, correspondence, poor house and workhouse documents and diaries. She illuminates the condition of the old, their experience, attitudes to them in eighteenth-century England and sheds light on contemporary ageing by historical comparison. Her lively and sophisticated analysis will be of great interest to scholars in British and social history.Susannah Ottaway combines a comprehensive survey of existing literature on the history of ageing with original interpretation and analysis of available data. Using a wide variety of sources (literature, correspondence, poor house and workhouse documents and diaries), Ottaway's account of the experiences of the aged reveals attitudes in eighteenth-century England that shed light on contemporary aging issues by historical comparison.List of figures; List of tables; Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; Introduction: old age in eighteenth-century England: no 'golden age of ageing'; 1. Who was 'old' in eighteenth-century England?; 2. The activities of the 'helmsman': self-reliance, work and community expectationsls-