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Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll in the Dutch Golden Age | Benjamin B. Roberts
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When we think of young men rebelling against a boring, restrictive society, we tend to think of recent years--the rock-and-roll era, for example. But young men have always had a desire and tendency to subvert the status quo. Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll in the Dutch Golden Age is a fascinating volume that presents an engaging overview of what it was like to be young and male in the Dutch Golden Age. Here, well-known cohorts of Rembrandt are examined for the ways in which they expressed themselves by defying conservative values and norms. Young men of this era practiced shockingly--or seemingly--modern modes of rebellion: letting their hair grow long, wearing colorful clothing, drinking excessively, challenging city guards, being promiscuous, smoking, and singing lewd songs. Cogently argued, this book paints a compelling portrait of the youth culture of the Dutch Golden Age, at a time when the rising popularity of print made dissemination of new cultural ideas possible, while rising incomes and liberal attitudes created a generation of men behaving badly.