http://calitreview.com/139 Book reviews, essays, and author interviews. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:36:10 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 http://calitreview.com/139/comment-page-1#comment-23230 Bruce Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:06:31 +0000 http://calitreview.com//non-fiction-reviews/marriage-a-history-from-obedience-to-intimacy-or-how-love-conquered-marriage/#comment-23230 Seems to me the biggest oversight in Coontz's appraisal of Western marriage is the importance (past/present/and future) of a spiritual understanding of marriage. Granted, she is a researcher, but she gives little to no credence to the fact that what she calls the 1950's model of marriage is inextricably indebted to Christian ideals: Love as the greatest virtue; a covenant vs. a contract; the very notion that every individual life is significant....et. al. She says this has been deconstructed by people who want personal happiness. If anything is going to save marriage - perhaps even society - it's going to be the acceptance - or return to - the belief that our pleasure in this world is not the sole measure of our life's worth. Certainly, we should not return to the inequality and misogyny of the past, but a nihilistic and narcissistic march toward "personal happiness"- whatever that is - and wherever it leads, is a sure path to chaos. Seems to me the biggest oversight in Coontz’s appraisal of Western marriage is the importance (past/present/and future) of a spiritual understanding of marriage.
Granted, she is a researcher, but she gives little to no credence to the fact that what she calls the 1950’s model of marriage is inextricably indebted to Christian ideals: Love as the greatest virtue; a covenant vs. a contract; the very notion that every individual life is significant….et. al.
She says this has been deconstructed by people who want personal happiness.
If anything is going to save marriage – perhaps even society – it’s going to be the acceptance – or return to – the belief that our pleasure in this world is not the sole measure of our life’s worth.
Certainly, we should not return to the inequality and misogyny of the past, but a nihilistic and narcissistic march toward “personal happiness”- whatever that is – and wherever it leads, is a sure path to chaos.

]]> http://calitreview.com/139/comment-page-1#comment-18307 David Loftus Sat, 24 May 2008 00:09:54 +0000 http://calitreview.com//non-fiction-reviews/marriage-a-history-from-obedience-to-intimacy-or-how-love-conquered-marriage/#comment-18307 Errr . . . perhaps "Jocelyn?" could be a little more specific? Who are you asking? Judge what? Errr . . . perhaps “Jocelyn?” could be a little more specific? Who are you asking? Judge what?

]]> http://calitreview.com/139/comment-page-1#comment-1420 Jocelyn? Wed, 25 Jul 2007 00:25:21 +0000 http://calitreview.com//non-fiction-reviews/marriage-a-history-from-obedience-to-intimacy-or-how-love-conquered-marriage/#comment-1420 who are YOU to judge???! who are YOU to judge???!

]]> http://calitreview.com/139/comment-page-1#comment-713 Jocelyn Morin Tue, 29 May 2007 17:19:31 +0000 http://calitreview.com//non-fiction-reviews/marriage-a-history-from-obedience-to-intimacy-or-how-love-conquered-marriage/#comment-713 This lucid review with startling revelations, some from the time of the ancient Greeks, reached through the generations and grabbed me. I'm looking forward to reading the book. This lucid review with startling revelations, some from the time of the ancient Greeks, reached through the generations and grabbed me. I’m looking forward to reading the book.

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