Work and Leisure

In the final chapter of the present volume, as in the others of the same set, the cultural history of work in the early modern age will be examined in relation to what is ordinarily recognized as its opposite: leisure. However, definitions are not an easy matter, and precisely the nature and boundaries of leisure and the assessment of its relationship to work has been the subject of significant scholarly controversy. The reader will find, therefore, an initial brief survey of such debate, with the suggestion of the key concepts and interpretations one may find most useful in approaching our period and issues. This will include a sketched chronology of the main developments that are believed to have occurred over the two hundred years under consideration. We will subsequently regroup historical data under a cluster of focal points: attitudes towards leisure and work (in their traditions and developments), also considered by taking into account the level of self-perception and awareness we may legitimately attribute to early modern agents; spaces and times of leisure practices; social hierarchy, gender and age groups; cultural and regional variation; the variety of forms of leisure in its interaction with work; the trend towards a commercialization of leisure; and the relationship between leisure and political power (including legislation and the judiciary).