Description

‘Brilliantly original . . . endlessly fascinating’ – Alice Loxton, author of Eighteen
‘An intricate cultural history . . . thought-provoking’ – The Sunday Times
‘Lucid and elegant’ – The Telegraph

From ancient times to our digital present, Strangers and Intimates traces the dramatic emergence of private life, and argues that it is now in mortal danger.

In this sweeping history, acclaimed cultural historian Tiffany Jenkins takes readers on an epic journey, from the strict separations of public and private in ancient Athens to the moral rigidity of the Victorian home, and from the feminists of the 1970s who declared that ‘the personal is political’ to the boundary-blurring demands of our digital age.

Strangers and Intimates is both a celebration of the private realm and a warning: as social media, surveillance and the expectations of constant openness reshape our lives, Jenkins asks a timely question: can private life survive the demands of the twenty-first century?

Publisher Review

A brilliantly original line of investigation, taking the reader on an epic journey through the ages . . . endlessly fascinating and full of surprises — Alice Loxton, author of Eighteen From Tudor Treason Trials to Monica Lewinsky and beyond, this book brilliantly deploys the author’s deep knowledge of literature, political ideas, as well as the history of law and of leisure . . . a tour de force. — David Abulafia, author of The Boundless Sea Amidst all the current narrow technological determinism, it is refreshing – and empowering – to read such a nuanced, thoughtful history of this slippery concept — Kate Fox, author of Watching the English From Thomas More and Oliver Cromwell to Jennicam, Big Brother and Monica Lewinsky . . . one of the most thought-provoking books I’ve read in years — Adrian Tinniswood, author of The Power and the Glory Essential reading for all those seeking to understand the dynamics of the current privacy crisis, and why it matters that solutions are found — David Vincent, author of A History of Solitude