The Work of France

In elegant and vivid prose, this deeply informed book offers a powerful synthesis of the ways men and women worked in early modern France. Distinguished historian James R. Farr shows how the shifting and often contradictory forces of a market economy shaped ideas about labor. Presenting a unified and compelling argument about the role of labor in society, Farr addresses a complex set of questions and succeeds masterfully at answering them. With its stylish writing and clear themes, this book will find a broad audience among students and scholars of early modern Europe, French history, economics, gender studies, anthropology, and labor studies.