ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in subsequent chapters of this book. The book explains the themes of language and space through nine case studies from England, France, Germany, Spain and the Italian peninsula. It suggests that once societal and urban ideals have been recognized, an understanding of the people and places of the margins is best served by a series of case studies, out of which, 'family resemblances'. The book presents four sections, each of which represents a potential point of resemblance: health, the law, occupation and morality. The book presents essays engage with the presentations and representations of the social margins using a variety of source material. These essays explore the intention and effect of these forms of self-presentation. The account of rural life employed by David Turner is a series of observations and descriptions of an English community before the Industrial Revolution, including its disabled members.
