Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage

Stephanie Coontz

Jun 2016 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Callie Beaulieu

About this audiobook

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 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.

About the author

Stephanie Coontz teaches history and family studies at the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, and serves as director of research and public education at the Council on Contemporary Families. She is the author of several books, including the award-winning A Strange Stirring.

Callie Beaulieu has been an actress for several decades. Classically trained, she is predominantly a theater actress, and her work has been seen around the country. Callie recently returned to the US after spending nearly a decade living in the Caribbean. She is a proud member of Actors Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA.