Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage

by Stephanie Coontz, Callie Beaulieu (Narrator)

Just when the clamor over "traditional" marriage couldn't get any louder, along comes this groundbreaking book to ask, "What tradition?"

In Marriage, a History, historian and marriage expert Stephanie Coontz takes listeners 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 19th 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.

Audible Audio

Published May 27, 2016

About the author

Stephanie Coontz is director of research and public education for the Council on Contemporary Families, which she chaired from 2001 to 2004, and emeritus faculty of history and family studies at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. She has written about gender, family, and history, and her writings have been translated into a dozen languages.

Reviews

[Lisa Moyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Stephanie Coontz. This was so helpful as an HDFS instructor teaching a class on marriage and the family. I read this so fast, she’s such a great author and speaker.

[Dany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lo leí por una tarea de mi diplomado de WP y wow me voló la cabeza.
La manera en que narra las épocas desde que el matrimonio empieza como solo un statement de poder político u económico hasta la actualidad de algunos países en los que el matrimonio ya se ve como un lujo en el que podemos ponernos tan específicos como quisiéramos con quien sería nuestra pareja es suuuuuper interesante.
Me tocó leerlo justo en el momento en el que lo necesitaba y me siento sumamente agradecida y shockeada de que estoy en un lugar y un tiempo en el que el matrimonio es más romántico y seguro que antes.

[Vlad Ardelean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books wherein a lot of effort was put.

The author tries to be balanced and look at nuances.

Totally worth reading.

Also spoiler: "modern marriages" (based on love and connection) make just 10% of people happier than more traditional marriages, and 90% of them worse off.