Marriage, a History: From Obedience to Intimacy

Summary (from the publisher): Or How Love Conquered Marriage.
Just when the clamor over "traditional" marriage couldn t get any louder, along comes this groundbreakingbook to ask, "What tradition?" In Marriage, a History, historian and marriage expert Stephanie Coontz takes readers from the marital intrigues of ancient Babylon to the torments of Victorian lovers to demonstrate how recent the idea of marrying for love is - and how absurd it would have seemed to most of our ancestors. It was when marriage moved into the emotional sphere in the nineteenth century, she argues, that it suffered as an institution just as it began to thrive as a personal relationship. This enlightening and hugely entertaining book brings intelligence, perspective, and wit to today's marital debate.

Review: This book provides the history of marriage from as far as back as humans have been forming romantic partnerships; it sort of reminded me of a survey class in college that makes a sweeping history through hundreds of years. Coontz does a great job of proving that stereotypes we have today about marriage are the product of generations of shifting ideas and practices. When you look back at marriage, it's rarely been about love but rather based on economic, financial, or social gain, and divorce is far from a modern malady. I was disappointed that Coontz, with the exception of a few anecdotes, focused on solely Western traditions of marriage. Overall, a great insight into a critical relationship that shapes every society, culture, and family on the globe.

Stars: 3