Abstract
The status and degree of agency of widows have changed along with societal perceptions of them throughout the centuries. Widows in 17th century England were afforded greater legal rights than the average contemporary woman, and yet their status as widows made them subject to a wide degree of stereotypes within popular forms of media at the time. Studies on the lives of these women have been limited to mainly legal rights, sexuality, literature studies and case studies of their day to day experiences. This paper examines specific perceptions of widows within contemporary forms of media and compares them to case studies of the lived experiences of widows. This examination takes place in order to determine if a dichotomy between the ideas of how a widow would live and act within her status of legal power matched up with the actual lived experiences of these women.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: The General: Brock University Undergraduate Journal of History
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
