The Ends of Life

Roads to Fulfillment in Early Modern England

Keith Thomas

A unique window onto the origins of our modern ideas of human fulfilment
Brings to life the ways in which people sought to lead fulfilling lives at the dawn of the modern age - from work, wealth, and possessions to the pleasures of family, friendship, and sociability
Compares the opinions of the leading thinkers of the period with the views and practices of ordinary people
Illuminates the central values of the period while providing much food for thought on the perennial problem of how we should live our lives and the goals that we should pursue

The Ends of Life

Roads to Fulfillment in Early Modern England

Keith Thomas

Description

Hailed as "immediately and universally recognized as indispensable" (TLS) and "compellingly readable, richly researched, fascinatingly detailed, delightfully written" (LRB), here is a masterful exploration of the ways in which people sought to lead fulfilling lives, illuminating the central values of early modern England, while casting incidental light on some of the perennial problems of human existence. Keith Thomas, one of the foremost historians of our time, sheds light on the origins of the modern ideal of human fulfillment and explores the many obstacles to its realization, looking at work, wealth, possessions, friendship, family, and sociability. The book looks at the cult of military prowess, the pursuit of honor and reputation, the nature of religious belief, and the desire to be posthumously remembered. The Ends of Life offers a fresh approach to the history of early modern England, providing modern readers with much food for thought on the problem of how we should live and what goals in life we should pursue.

The Ends of Life

Roads to Fulfillment in Early Modern England

Keith Thomas

The Ends of Life

Roads to Fulfillment in Early Modern England

Keith Thomas

Author Information

Sir Keith Thomas is a Fellow of All Souls College and former President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford.

The Ends of Life

Roads to Fulfillment in Early Modern England

Keith Thomas

Reviews and Awards

"Thomas's style is sharp, wry, often amused, the product of a unique intellect that steers away from false generalizations and embraces ambiguity....He saves us from the cardinal sin of thinking that the past was simple, and that we have grasped it....Through these pages we revisit not just old mentalities but wasted hopes and dreams."--New York Review of Books

"The Ends of Life is one of the most enjoyable, provocative, and instructive works of historical scholarship I have ever read. It is a work I will return to again and again, and I doubt that I will ever exhaust its riches."--Books & Culture

"The writing is engaging and reflects a staggering amount of reading from hundreds of men and women, coming anywhere from the mid-16th to the late-18th century....[Thomas] offers a good read on important questions that few historians would dare to ask. Summing Up: Highly recommended."--CHOICE

"A sweeping account of how people in the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries gave meaning to their lives."-- ICommon Knowledge

"Here is ready access to the past, filled with familiar and anonymous voices, busy with assertions, speculations, and intellectual differences. Anyone with an affinity to the early modern period will not be able to resist the charm and engagement of this volume. Unlike most other works of history, this one repays repeated visits."--Journal of British Studies

"A wonderfully rich survey of the cultural landscape of early modern England. Written with humanity and insight, it is a delight to read and an idea introduction."--Journal of Social History

"[T]he book is an eloquent testimony to a master historian at the height of his craft."--Jacob M. Blosser, Texas Woman's University

"Keith Thomas intends to 'omit any sustained discussion of religion' in The Ends of Life, a far-reaching study of 'the central values of the English people between the early sixteenth and the late eighteenth centuries.'"--The Journal of Religion