Patriarcha and other writings /

　　recent years have seen a great explosion of intcrest in women's history, and in the history of the fanlily and patriarchal attitudes-not least in seventeenth-century england. at that time patriarchalist thinking shaped english ideas not only about the family but also about society and the state. many thinkers argued that the state should be seen as a family, and that the king held the powers of a tither over his subjects. fathers, thcy claimed, were not accouutable to their wives or children, and the king was not accountable to the people. . 　　 the classic texts of patriarchal political thinking were written by sir robert filmer(1588-1653), one of the most acute defenders of absolute monarchy in the seventeenth century. his political works arc edited from the original manuscript and printed sources, with an introduction which locates filmer's ideas in their historical and ideological contexts. these texts -to which johw locke replied in his influential two treatises of govemmem-provide highly important documents for the understanding of political and social ideas at a decisive stage in the development of english attitudes. ...