The Ends of Life

Roads to Fulfilment in Early Modern England

Keith Thomas

416 pages | 16pp black and white plates | 234x156mm

978-0-19-958083-5 | Paperback | 25 February 2010

Also available as: Hardback

Price: £12.99

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A unique window onto the origins of our modern ideas of human fulfilment
Brings to life the ways in which people sought to lead fulfilling lives at the dawn of the modern age - from work, wealth, and possessions to the pleasures of family, friendship, and sociability
Compares the opinions of the leading thinkers of the period with the views and practices of ordinary people
Illuminates the central values of the period while providing much food for thought on the perennial problem of how we should live our lives and the goals that we should pursue

How should we live? That question was no less urgent for English men and women who lived between the early sixteenth and late eighteenth centuries than for this book's readers. Keith Thomas's masterly exploration of the ways in which people sought to lead fulfilling lives in those centuries between the beginning of the Reformation and the heyday of the Enlightenment illuminates the central values of the period, while casting incidental light on some of the perennial problems of human existence.

Consideration of the origins of the modern ideal of human fulfilment and of obstacles to its realization in the early modern period frames an investigation that ranges from work, wealth, and possessions to the pleasures of friendship, family, and sociability. The cult of military prowess, the pursuit of honour and reputation, the nature of religious belief and scepticism, and the desire to be posthumously remembered are all drawn into the discussion, and the views and practices of ordinary people are measured against the opinions of the leading philosophers and theologians of the time.

The Ends of Life offers a fresh approach to the history of early modern England, by one of the foremost historians of our time. It also provides modern readers with much food for thought on the problem of how we should live and what goals in life we should pursue.

Readership: All those interested in early modern and eighteenth century intellectual, cultural, religious, and social history

The specification in this catalogue, including without limitation price, format, extent, number of illustrations, and month of publication, was as accurate as possible at the time the catalogue was compiled. Occasionally, due to the nature of some contractual restrictions, we are unable to ship a specific product to a particular territory. Jacket images are provisional and liable to change before publication.

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The Ends of Life

Roads to Fulfilment in Early Modern England

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