Early Modern History: Society and Culture: Attitudes Towards Leisure and Pastimes in European Culture, c.1425-1675

Arcangeli, A.

In Renaissance Europe, when 'leisure classes' used social gathering to define civility and the commercialization of leisure was beginning, the human need for recreation became a cultural topos. The book explores the vocabulary of play and games; the spectrum of leisure activities, often gender-specific or appropriate to particular social groups; the medical discourse on the preservation of health, where amusements were assessed as physical exercise; the moral approach to play; legal treatises on gambling; and the visual representation of leisure.

Details

Published by: Palgrave Macmillan

Publication Date: 2003-12-18

Format: Hardcover

ISBN-13: 9780333984536

DOI: 10.1057/9780230507982

Dimensions: 216cm x140cm

Pages: 188