Comments on: Accidents and Violent Deaths in Early Modern London

By: RadGradReviewer

RadGradReviewer — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 03:26:51 +0000

I found it convincing when the author defends the choice to continue the use of “empirical data.” Critics oppose the use of quantified conclusions since it imposes a current framework onto a past subject (11). Spence defends his use of this methodology by stating that it is crucial to use whatever sources available to understand a semblance of “frequency” (11). The frequency allows historians to better understand how representative an event, idea, or other past feature is of the more general reality. The empirical data provide Spence with a basic understanding of reality, which helps him better analyze the people’s perceptions of these accidents (11). For instance, he asserts that individuals thought fatal accidents in London were more common than what truly happened (95). He shows that pairing cultural realities with quantitative findings helped bolster this methodology.

By: Edward Kirsch

Edward Kirsch — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 00:32:01 +0000

Anna comments that: “Chapter 9 especially helped to pull the culture of Early Modern England into what could have otherwise been a very quantitative book.” I concur and found that was the aspect of the book that resonated the most with me. I found the progression from the empirical data captured in the Bills of Mortality, “followed by the narrative elaboration of at least more spectacular events through pamphlet publication,” followed again at the outset of the 1700s by the “explosion in metropolitan newsprint” and how this resulted in a socially constructed sense of the city as a “dystopian cauldron of death and disorder” fascinating. (242) Spence also does a great job of describing how Bills of Mortality were developed, their usefulness, and the main participants in the process such as the searchers and parish clerks. (Chapters 1-2) Spence’s focus on “how things seemed to contemporaries” in the latter chapters was well done. He used Figures to great effect to illustrate his points including especially the Hogarth engravings (Figures 9.7 and 9.8), but also Figure 9.1 regarding Hail. (Much better than the use of maps in Islands book.) The persistence of providential interpretation of accidents reminded me of the thinking of Lady Ranelagh. The role of various medical providers was also interesting in chapter 7 and prompted connections to the Lady Ranelagh book as well.

By: Tyler Thompson

Tyler Thompson — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 23:46:49 +0000

Anna

I agree that this book brings together multiple types of data to draw its final conclusion. She was able to use data from the Bills of Mortality throughout the book as well as bring in other aspects such as cultural histories to flavor up the writing. It would have been easy for her to just use the data from the Bills of Mortality to structure her book but she instead uses other sources to sprinkle throughout. I personally loved this book, even though at some points the subject was very dark. I got the sense from her writing that her argument was original. I do not know of any other books that use accidental deaths to push an argument. Overall, I believe that the book was original and provides a sense of what life was like in London during this time.