The Radical Idea Of Marrying For Love - 923 Words

Love is rarely the motivating reason for marriage, and Stephanie Coontz’s article, â€Å"The Radical Idea of Marrying for Love,† discusses this. Coontz brings forth a lot of information and many examples to inform the reader of how the western idea of marriage isn’t really as common as we believe that it is. She starts her article with a quote from George Bernard Shaw, who says that people who marry for love are, â€Å"under the influence of the most violent, most insane, most delusive, and most transient of passions†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Many of the cultures that Coontz goes onto talk about later in the article share this viewpoint. The author writes about the history of marriage and touches on societies that have obscure views of it now. She does a great job of organizing the information into a timeline starting with marriage in the ancient times, love in African tribes, adultery throughout history, monogamy, and marriage now in Western society. Most of Western s ociety bases getting married on the idea of â€Å"love until death.† Coontz argues that this Western invention is and has often been seen as radical. First of all, Coontz begins her article by focusing on Ancient societies such as Ancient Greek and France during the Middle Ages, and how they shared the belief that marrying for love was a symptom of insanity. Falling in love in ancient India was viewed as being disruptive. She goes on to talk about how adultery was idealized in Europe, often being seen as the highest form of affectionShow MoreRelatedThe Radical Idea Of Marrying For Love882 Words   |  4 Pageswants to spend the rest of her days with and marries him. But what connotations does the word â€Å"marriage† have for this statement to be made? In her article, â€Å"The Radical Idea of Marrying for Love,† Stephanie Coontz writes on the contrasting cultural ideas of marriage, relationships, and love. She explains that for thousands of years, love was not seen as a necessity for marriages in different cultures, but now as a Western society, has been idolized into a primary component for marriage. She addsRead MoreThe Radical Idea of Marrying for Love Essay855 Words   |  4 PagesRunning Head: The Radical Idea of Marrying for Love Summary of: The Radical Idea of Marrying for Love English 1102 Mrs. Charleston February 3, 2011 In â€Å"The Radical Idea of Marrying for Love.† Stephanie Coontz describes marriage as an â€Å"institution that brings together two people.† she shares the point that â€Å"marriage should be based on intense, profound love and a couple should maintain their ardor until death do them part† (p. 378). Coontz talks about the history behind marriage. PeopleRead MoreSummar of The Radical Idea of Marrying for Love, by Stephanie Coontz965 Words   |  4 PagesENG 112-250 Summary Final Draft Love Actually Author Stephanie Coontz writes about the ideas of love and marriage through out history in the article â€Å"The Radical Idea of Marrying for Love.† Early in the article Coontz quotes an early twentieth century author by the name of George Bernard Shaw, who states, â€Å"marriage is an institution that brings together two people under the influence of the most violent, most insane, most delusive, and most transient of passions. They are required to swear thatRead MoreEloping And Quick Vegas Marriages Banned Essay933 Words   |  4 Pagesmarriage a good idea? People marrying today are in to big of a rush, don t know their partners, or what a long-lasting marriage entails. By reading Stephanie Coontz’s article â€Å"The Radical Idea of Marrying for Love† and Aviva Patz â€Å"Will Your Marriage Last?† I came to the conclusion that people should spend more time in a dating, and should be tested to see if they are really ready for marriage. Koontz, a histori an, wrote an article about the history of marriage and how our current idea of marriage hasn’tRead MoreThe Love Sick Society1531 Words   |  7 Pages4/07/12 The Love Sick Marriage When we talk about marriage in this time period, we always expect there to be a sense of love behind this status, for the most part. However, where did this concept of â€Å"love† come from? Marriage in the past was very rarely associated with love. Love was seen as detrimental to the concept of marriage. In fact, in Ancient China, love was seen as â€Å"disruptive† and an act of being â€Å"antisocial† (Coontz 378). So the question we ask ourselves is, where did this idea of love in marriageRead MoreEssay on Charlotte Temple - Ideas of Love1378 Words   |  6 PagesCharlotte Temple - Ideas of Love In the 18th century, when Charlotte Temple was written, society’s ideas about women, love, and obligations were extremely different from views held in the 20th century. Women did not have many rights, and society made them think that their place in life was to marry well. They were not supposed to have desires or hopes for an amazing kind of love. They were merely supposed to marry the man who their families intended them to marry, and live their livesRead MoreMy Dear And Loving Husband By Anne Bradstreet929 Words   |  4 Pagesno mention of love, yet in western civilization, love is considered the deciding factor in taking that leap. Anne Bradstreet wrote in her poem To My Dear and Loving Husband â€Å"If ever two were one, then surely we. If ever man were loved by wife, then thee; if ever wife was happy in a man, Compare with me ye women if you can (CITATION).† Even though she lived in a Puritan home, Bradshaw freely expressed her love for her husband. This expression could have been viewed as just as radical as homosexualRead MoreWoman Must Marry in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Essay604 Words   |  3 Pagesand she married him because he could financially care for her. As Mrs. Bennet’s beauty faded, so did his love for her. This is partially why Mr. Bennet questions Elizabeth so extensively about her feelings for Mr. Darcy. Once he is ensured that Lizzie is marrying for lo ve he tells her he could not part with her for anyone less worthy. Jane and Elizabeth shared the same radical idea of marrying a man because of the size of their heart instead of the size of their pocket book. The girls fought againstRead More How Elizabeth Bennet is used by Jane Austen in Pride and Prejudice1501 Words   |  7 Pagesappropriate gentlemen for their daughters, and it was often the case that couples would meet at parties and balls organised by respectable members of society. It is said in the novel that to be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love. This is evident as when describing Mrs Bennet Jane Austen writes The business of her life was to get her daughters married. Elizabeth Bennet stands at the centre of the novel pride and prejudice as a woman who differs from ordinary womenRead MoreMinor Characters in Pride and Prejudice: Charlottes Influence on Elizabeth887 Words   |  4 Pagesman and the desire to not burden her parents any longer. On the other hand, Elizabeth believes that marriage should be for the love of another, not based upon dowry or arrangements. Because of the contrast between both women’s ideals, the relationships between Darcy and Collins are understandable. The reason Elizabeth turned Mr. Collins away was because she did not love him and the reason Charlotte accepted his proposal was because she wanted that stability. Elizabeth fell for Mr. Darcy in the