- Hardcover: 464 pages
- Publisher: Viking USA; 1 edition (May 24 2005)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 067003407X
- ISBN-13: 978-0670034079
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16.3 x 4.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 658 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #937,127 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. When considered in the light of history, "traditional marriage"—the purportedly time-honored institution some argue is in crisis thanks to rising rates of divorce and out-of-wedlock births, not to mention gay marriage—is not so traditional at all. Indeed, Coontz (The Way We Never Were) argues, marriage has always been in flux, and "almost every marital and sexual arrangement we have seen in recent years, however startling it may appear, has been tried somewhere before." Based on extensive research (hers and others'), Coontz's fascinating study places current concepts of marriage in broad historical context, revealing that there is much more to "I do" than meets the eye. In ancient Rome, no distinction was made between cohabitation and marriage; during the Middle Ages, marriage was regarded less as a bond of love than as a " 'career' decision"; in the Victorian era, the increasingly important idea of true love "undermined the gender hierarchy of the home" (in the past, men—rulers of the household—were encouraged to punish insufficiently obedient wives). Coontz explains marriage as a way of ensuring a domestic labor force, as a political tool and as a flexible reflection of changing social standards and desires. She presents her arguments clearly, offering an excellent balance between the scholarly and the readable in this timely, important book. Agent, Susan Rabiner. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Coontz explores how marriage has evolved, from the introduction of romantic love through modern-day attempts to balance changing sex roles. As society separated marriage from economics, it also made marriage more fragile and subject to the vagaries of emotions. Coontz notes that all of the permutations of marriage that we now consider new and radical have been seen before and that generations throughout history have always looked back in nostalgia at their parents' and grandparents' generations with idealized notions of marriage. Part 1 focuses on the evolution of the idea of marriage for love; part 2 examines the politics of marriage from ancient history through the modern age; part 3 explores how marriage has evolved from the Victorian era to the 1950s Ozzie-and-Harriet model; part 4 looks at the forces that have led to rising divorce rates and challenges to the very definition of marriage. Coontz offers a fascinating and incredible breadth of cultural and historical viewpoints on an institution that is perpetually considered to be in a state of crisis. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.3 out of 5 stars (21 customer reviews)
26 of 30 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Want to learn about marriage and relationships? Read this book!, Jun 27 2005
By Dorothy Marcic - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Marriage A History (Hardcover)
Stephanie Coontz has once again written a thoughful, informative and thoroughly readable book. After devouring her THE WAY WE NEVER WERE, I didn't think it could get any better. Oh, was I wrong. Marriage, A History, is so interesting, so captivating, that you will not want to put it down, you will be telling all your friends about it. And, if you are smart, you'll get a book club together to discuss this important piece of work.As an author and academic myself, I know how much work goes into writing a book. Coontz has done one difficult piece of investigative research--and she makes it interesting, even compelling. Coontz documents the changes marriage has gone through from times past when women were socialized to obey the man, when no one even expected to marry for love. Back then, marriage was for economic and social reasons and the web or family and society kept a couple together. Now we expect to marry for love, but as Coontz shows, love is the most fragile part of the equation. Thus, it has meant a change in how we see marriage, a change in behaviors. Not only do we expect emotional intimacy, but women (in Western societies, anyway) are more equal than before. And so marriage continues to evolve. Coontz also shows how robust the institution of marriage is: try to think of many other institutions that have survived for thousands of years. She also gives honest--and personal--insights into the difficulties of sustaining a happy marriage, as well as the rewards. Consider that married couples in Western countries are generally better off emotionally, economically and are healthier than couples living in other types of arrangements.
So, click on the button and buy this book. You will be thankful you did.
Dr. Dorothy Marcic
Vanderbilt University
35 of 45 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hey state legislators, What are you really protecting?, Jun 24 2005
By Robin Orlowski "political activist" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Marriage A History (Hardcover)
Once again Coontz (The way we never were, The way we really are) delves beyond simplistic pop culture/political sound bites to deliver an infinitely more complex portrait of American family life. This time she tackles marriage.Because marriage has traditionally been about possession of property (the woman and her family's ownings) today's pop culture promotion of marriage as a partnership of equals is VERY new. It is not at all traditional in the actual historical sense.
People who are eager to restrict same sex marriage might want to reconsider after they learn what had previously been restricted throughout American history. Interracial, inter-religious, and the unions of people with disabilities were all once barred under 'protection' guises of their day.
We endorse a very selective and unrealistic history of marriage whenever we avoid recognition of these histories. It is easy to support marriage restrictions until we have to concede that we might ourselves be discriminated by a genuinely 'traditional' institution. Today's attempts to ban same sex marriage only carry on the tradition of fear and division rather than affirming the institution itself.
Coontz delves into disturbing histories, but this book is completely readable. Like her previous works, this book is accessible; the scholar, community activist, and general audiences all will find this title a very informative work.
We cannot discuss the tradition of marriage without first actually conceding that this institution has previously changed and then what adherence to tradition really would mean for the country.
19 of 24 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not the most definitive book in the field, but very enjoyable, Dec 27 2005
By bohemian theologian "Theologian, Sociologist,... - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Marriage A History (Hardcover)
I was excited when i heard that Coontz was coming out with another book because I found her books The Way We Never Were and The Way We Really Are to be incredibly informative and eye-opening.I really enjoyed this particular book because she looks at the phenomenon of marriage from an objective, historical point of view. People who are interested in history, interested in the social development of relationships and interested in womens studies would really enjoy this book.
However I found that some of the information that was displayed in this book was done in more depth in previous books on the subject. Coontz pulls together a very basic history of marriage and pieces it together from her sociological historical perspective. Other books that go into more depth on the details of the history of such things would definitely be: Hands and Hearts, Public Vows, The History of the Wife, All Dressed In White, From Front Porch to Backseat. Also, getting in touch with old etiquette books as well as getting a hold of the books Pink Think and Feminine Mystique would be very useful as well in terms of understanding the development of romantic relationships the way that they are. She uses her previous books as a springing point for some of the stuff displayed in this book as well. However a lot of the books that I previously mentioned are appropietely used in the bibliography for this particular book. As a result, i think that her work is well researched. Its probably not the most definitive book in the field, however people who are interested in the history of marriage and family will probably this resource. Fans of Coontz will more than likely enjoy being exposed to another aspect of family studies as well.
What Coontz does best is finding ways to address these issues in a way that both the casual and academic reader would be interested in. It is easy enough for people who may not have been to college to understand and substantial enough for the more academic reader to find further areas of research.
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