Domostroi Introduction

Upon reading the introduction of Carolyn Pouncy’s translation of the Domostroi, the age in which the book was written becomes immediately apparent.  World culture and societal norms have advanced and changed to an almost indescribable degree from the time of the seventeenth century, making many of the teachings within the Domostroi seem archaic beyond recognition.  However, upon reading the practical nature of many of the teachings on household order become apparent.  Certainly the time period’s treatment of women or mere existence of serfs is by todays standards unthinkable, but the practical nature of proper food storage and winter preparations seems proper for the time’s level of technology.  The Domostroi goes into great detail of the daily lives of the gentry, and primarily aids the readers in keen preparation and maintenance of the household.  The success of a household in these times was directly linked to the success of a family lineage, if a household fails to maintain proper status their ability to acquire strategically placed marriages or deals may be limited.  In comparison to the Domostroi’s teachings on maintenance of societal standing it is also a book on maintaining survival within the household itself.  The Domostroi teaches of the many duties whose proper completion are integral to the success of a families’ winter.  In short, the introduction to the Domostroi while clearly having not aged well in terms of societal implications, does show the practical nature of the book in terms of educating the gentry on maintaining not only their political and societal standing but the well being of their lives as well.

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