From Publishers Weekly
Iconoclastic, revelatory, this study attempts to right the perceived historical record about why people married through the ages. Mount, editor of the Times Literary Supplement in London, accuses Christianity of forcing individuals to place God above family; we have been deceived, he charges, by religions, governments, historians, Marx and Engels and misguided feminists, who deny the essentially romantic nature of the nuptial bond. Armed with bawdy tales, urn inscriptions, diary entries, letters and court papers, he makes a convincing case that marriages have traditionally been contracted because of romance. History, Mount concludes, was revised to suit the ideological needs of church or state. Many will not like the way Plato, Jesus, Lenin, Mao and Hitler are lumped together here as orthodox thinkers who have beclouded the facts about marriage. Nevertheless there's considerable scholarship and entertainment in the historic sources proffered.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
At a time when "family values" are on everyone's mind comes the first U.S. edition of this fascinating social history of marriage by an editor for the Times Literary Supplement . Originally published in England in 1982, this work is no less provocative today: It argues that the family as we know it--nuclear, two-generational, and bound by affection and commitment--has existed and, indeed, triumphed throughout recorded history despite attempts by church and state to discredit and control it. Many widely held notions are refuted, including the belief that romantic love is a relatively modern concept, that arranged marriages were the norm until the 20th century, and that parents in earlier societies were indifferent to their children. Mount's contentions are supported by a convincing array of histor ical source material and contemporary scholarship. Essential for all academic and large public libraries.
- Linda Cul lum, Lake Superior State Univ. Lib., Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
