From Daniel Defoe’s Family Instructor to William Godwin’s political novel Caleb Williams, literature written for and about servants tells a hitherto untold story about the development of sexual and gender ideologies in the early modern period. This original study explores the complicated relationships between domestic servants and their masters through close readings of such literary and nonliterary eighteenth-century texts. The early modern family was not biologically defined. It included domestic servants who often had strong emotional and intimate ties to their masters and mistresses. Kristina Straub argues that many modern assumptions about sexuality and gender identity have their roots in these affective relationships of the eighteenth-century family. By analyzing a range of popular and literary works—from plays and novels to newspapers and conduct manuals—Straub uncovers the economic, social, and erotic dynamics that influenced the development of these modern identities and ideologies. Highlighting themes important in eighteenth-century studies—gender and sexuality; class, labor, and markets; family relationships; and violence—Straub explores how the common aspects of human experience often intersected within the domestic sphere of master and servant. In examining the interpersonal relationships between the different classes, she offers new ways in which to understand sexuality and gender in the eighteenth century.

Miss Lucy went to the North Carolina mountains in 1920 as an apprentice teacher, but she soon discovered that the kind of teaching that she wanted to do was not in the fields in which she was trained. What interested her most was already there among the mountain people--the ancient arts of hand-weaving and vegetable dyeing. Her campaign to revive interest in these native crafts has resulted in the internationally respected Penland School of Handicrafts. Originally published in 1971. A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.

At a time when women did not commonly travel unescorted, carry a rifle, sit down in bars, or have romantic liaisons with other women, Lucy Lobdell boldly set forth to earn men's wages. Lucy Lobdell did all of these things in a personal quest to work and be paid, to wear what she wanted, and love whomever she cared to. But to gain those freedoms she had to endure public scorn and wrestle with a sexual identity whose vocabulary had yet to be invented. In this riveting historical novel set in upstate New York in the 19th century, William Klaber captures the life of a brave woman who saw well beyond her era. The Rebellion of Miss Lucy Ann Lobdell is the fictionalized account of Lucy's foray into the world of men and her inward journey to a new sexual identity. It is her promised memoir as hear and recorded a century later by William Klaber, an upstream neighbor. Meticulously researched and told with compassion and respect, this is historical fiction at its best.

A novel of romance, first love, and second chances hailed as “an exquisite book, one that long lingers in the mind, an absolute ‘keeper’!” —Heather Graham At the turn of the century, small-town postmistress Lucy Hart is desperate for adventure. On the verge of spinsterhood, she decides to take a trip and make some lasting memories in the fading glory of Atlantic City. Avaricious gigolo Blackie LaDuke has made his way through a bevy of high-society women, pleasing them while keeping his eye on a way out. Looking to escape the heat of New York City—and the pressure to settle down—he escapes to Atlantic City. There he meets a most unusually beautiful and prim young woman, and is instantly intrigued. Soon, an unlikely friendship blossoms and before long, Blackie finds himself wanting to be the man worthy of Lucy’s affection. Hoping to leave their old lives behind, can Lucy and Blackie start a new one together?