Description: Suicide was regarded as a deplorable act, subject to savage punishments, in Tudor and Stuart England. In Georgian England it was de-criminalized, tolerated, and even sentimentalized. Drawing on a wide variety of contemporary sources, Sleepless Souls traces the causes of this dramatic shift in attitude. Michael MacDonald and Terence R. Murphy relate changes in opinion and practice to the complex framework of life in early modern England--including political events, religious changes, philosophical fashions, and differing class interests. Their analysis uncovers the forces that were reshaping the mental outlook of different English classes and social groups, and consequently provides an invaluable social and cultural history of English society over three centuries.
Review Quotes: "One of the best things about Sleepless Souls is the insistence of Michael MacDonald and Terrencee Murphy that suicide is a social question."--Journal of British Studies
"A marvelous accession to the history of suicide, and a compelling contribution to the social and cultural history of early-modern England....The strength of this superb book is to treat suicide as a cultural phenomenon...that shaped the mental outlook of different social strata over these three dynanmic centuries."--Journal of Social History"A skillful and forceful study...[that] makes an important contribution both to the history of suicide and to what the study of suicide can reveal about history."--American Historical Review"Anyone interested in the history of suicide or the history of Tudor England will both enjoy and appreciate this book."--Contemporary Sociology"A masterful and well-produced collaboration."--History: Reviews of New Books"There are marvelous sections describing attitudes toward suicide and motives for it, and a revealing section on the impact of new reports of suicides in papers."--CHOICE"A novel and well-written study."--Sixteenth Century Journal"This is a book worthy of Lawrence Stone at his best. The authors focus on an important and intrinsically interesting subject over a long time period, document it and offer wide-ranging explanations of structures and trends based on interdisciplinary methods."--Albion