{"product_id":"9780814717110","title":"The Widows' Might: Widowhood and Gender in Early British America","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn early American society, one’s identity was determined in large part by gender. The ways in which men and women engaged with their communities were generally not equal: married women fell under the legal control of their husbands, who handled all negotiations with the outside world, as well as many domestic interactions. The death of a husband enabled women to transcend this strict gender divide. Yet, as a widow, a woman occupied a third, liminal gender in early America, performing an unusual mix of male and female roles in both public and private life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith shrewd analysis of widows’ wills as well as prescriptive literature, court appearances, newspaper advertisements, and letters, \u003cb\u003eThe Widows’ Might\u003c\/b\u003e explores how widows were portrayed in early American culture, and how widows themselves responded to their unique role. Using a comparative approach, Vivian Bruce Conger deftly analyzes how widows in colonial Massachusetts, South Carolina, and Maryland navigated their domestic, legal, economic, and community roles in early American society.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"New York University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47079996162288,"sku":"9780814717110","price":35.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780814717110_p0.jpg?v=1769909482","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780814717110","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}