ABSTRACT
Though Praetorius clearly shared the misogyny of his age, upon closer inspection he also reveals himself to be an astute observer of women's lives. In the tracts reviewed in this chapter he explores, in an original and lively fashion, questions of gender and class, the roles of the working maid and non-working damsel, and the married life of the burgher woman. Praetorius offers amusing and sometimes profound insights into early modern interactions between men and women. Praetorius's treatment of women and gender in these tracts is complicated by the presence of several male voices belonging to the omniscient narrative 1, an implied author not to be confused with Praetorius. In the Dulc-Amarus Praetorius explores the deep divide between women of different social and economic backgrounds that is implicit in the different statuses of maid and damsel.
