Mistresses
eBook - ePub

Mistresses

A History of the Other Woman

  1. 522 pages
  2. English
  3. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

Mistresses

A History of the Other Woman

About this book

"A lively and nuanced look at gender roles as they have been revealed by the lives of concubines and mistresses over the centuries" ( Kirkus).
She exists as both a fictional character and as a flesh-and-blood human being. But who is she, really? Why do women become mistresses, and what is it like to have a private life that is usually also a secret life? Is a mistress merely a wife-in-waiting, or is she the very definition of the emancipated, independent female?
Elizabeth Abbott intelligently examines the motives and morals of some of history's most infamous and fascinating women, from antiquity to today. Drawing intimate portraits of those who have—by chance, coercion, or choice—assumed this complex role, Mistresses offers a rich blend of personal biography and cultural insight.
"Ms. Abbott is delightfully indiscreet, with an eye for a good story and a colloquial style . . . She has done the ladies a service by bringing them out of the shadows." — The Economist

Frequently asked questions

Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription.
No, books cannot be downloaded as external files, such as PDFs, for use outside of Perlego. However, you can download books within the Perlego app for offline reading on mobile or tablet. Learn more here.
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
  • Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
  • Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Both plans are available with monthly, semester, or annual billing cycles.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 1000+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn more here.
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more here.
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS or Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access Mistresses by Elizabeth Abbott in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Social Sciences & Gender Studies. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Information

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. BY THE SAME AUTHOR
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  6. INTRODUCTION: Meeting Mistresses
  7. CHAPTER 1: Love out of Wedlock in the Ancient World
  8. CHAPTER 2: Eastern Concubines and Harems
  9. CHAPTER 3: Whose Whore? Europe’s Royal Mistresses
  10. CHAPTER 4: Marital Arrangements in Aristocratic Circles
  11. CHAPTER 5: The Clandestine Consorts of (Un) Celibate Clerics
  12. CHAPTER 6: Conquerors and Their Mistresses
  13. CHAPTER 7: Interracial Sexual Unions Within the “Peculiar Institution”
  14. CHAPTER 8: Sexual Unions and the Jewish Question
  15. CHAPTER 9: Mistresses as Muses
  16. CHAPTER 10: Mistresses of Men Above the Law
  17. CHAPTER 11: Mistresses as Trophy Dolls
  18. CHAPTER 12: Fallen Women: Mistresses in Literature
  19. CHAPTER 13: The 1960s Transform Marriage and Mistressdom
  20. Conclusion: Mistresses Met
  21. Endnotes
  22. Acknowledgments
  23. Index
  24. About the Author