Marriage in the Victorian
In the Victorian, marriage was seen mainly as bringing up ones status, people didn t marry for love they married for money. In this case, Victorians kept marriage between family members to keep the wealth there. Throughout many Victorian works this trend in seen often.
In Thomas Hardy s novel, Desperate Remedies, in the beginning we learn that Cyntherea had to end her relationship with Ambrose Graye, because she was going to be with her cousin who she had prior flirtation with but he had left and went to India and now he was to return (9). Another relationship between cousins in this novel is with Edward Springrove and Adelaide Hinton who have been engaged for quite sometime (122). Why in the Victorian is it okay for first cousins to marry? If cousins could marry what other relatives were allowed to marry. Were cousins marrying each other okay with the church?
Cousins marrying in the Victorian was not the first time the idea was raised. In the 1650 s, The Quakers decided not to allow marriage between cousins. A man named Thomas Hodgkin challenged this rule in 1840, arguing that the Bible did not forbid it and there were no medical reason to forbid it. His appeal was rejected, but marriage between first cousins was eventually permitted towards the end of the 19th century.
In the Victorian, courtship was considered more of a career move than a romantic interlude for a young man, as all of a woman s property was reverted to him upon marriage. Marriage was encouraged only in one s class. To aspire higher, one was considered to upstart. To marry someone of lesser social standing was considered marrying beneath oneself (Hoppe 2). Cousins marrying one another was a way to marry someone in the same social standing and to keep property in the family.
Numerous characters in Victorian fiction married their first cousins. This practice was perfectly legal in the eyes of both civil and religious authorities. The table of Prohibitive Degrees in the Church of England s Book of Common Prayer listed thirty relatives whom one might not marry, but first cousins were not on the list (McMurtry 215). One of those people on that list that was forbidden marriage with was the deceased wife s sister. Nor was this type of marriage introduced in fiction. A man was not supposed to marry a woman in this category on the grounds that his former wife s relatives had become literally his own, meaning husband and wife being one flesh , and that to marry her sister would constitute incest (McMurtry 216). There were nearly annual efforts to abolish one of the prohibited degrees by authorizing marriage with a deceased wife s sister. Despite substantial changes during the Victorian period, marriage law continued to grant more rights to men than to women at the turn of the century (Shanley 478).
Another work that deals with first cousin marriage is Elizabeth Browning s verse novel Aurora Leigh. The novel deals with a portrait of a young woman committed to her poetry. It also deals with presentation of social issues concerning women and in its claims for Aurora s poetic vocation. Aurora refuses a proposal of marriage from her cousin Romney, who wants her to be his helpmate in the liberal causes he has embraced.
In the Victorian, it seemed that people only cared about money and being prosperous, which is fine. However, to go as far as to marry a relative to keep property in the family seems a little too much. Now in the 20th century, marrying ones cousin is shunned and the only time you do see cousins marrying each other is on The Jerry Springer Show.
Works Cited
Browning, Elizabeth. Aurora Leigh. The Norton Anthology of
English Literature. Eds. M.H. Abrams and Stephen
Greenblatt. New York: Norton.
Hardy, Thomas. Desperate Remedies. 1871. New York:
Penguin, 1998.
Hoppe, Michelle. Courting the Victorian Woman. New York:
Penguin, 1998.
McMurtry, Jo. Victorian Life and Victorian Fiction. CT:
Archon Books, 1979.
Shanley, Mary. Marriage Law. Victorian Britain.
Sally Mitchell. New York: Garland, 1988
Другие работы по теме:
Marrige Essay Research Paper Everyone agrees that
Marrige Essay, Research Paper Everyone agrees that respect is something very important and that it is the key to a lasting marriage. Annie Gottlieb wrote the essay Respect: At The Heart Of Successful Marriage and elaborated on how people interpret this in their own different ways. She basically explains exactly what the word respect means and through what methods it is applied to a marriage.
Victorian Jewelry Essay Research Paper The quaintness
Victorian Jewelry Essay, Research Paper ?The quaintness and eccentricity of some of the jewels, particularly from among the less expensive lines, was partly a reflection of the mood of the times but was also the result of trading conditions? (Hinks6). Jewelry makers produced new ideas every season, whether they were practical or idiot because the competition between domestic rivals was so intense.
Marriage Essay Research Paper Most couples spend
Marriage Essay, Research Paper Most couples spend a great deal of time, energy and money on a wedding ceremony that lasts a couple of hours. It is much easier to prepare for a successful wedding than a successful marriage. Marriage is an exciting process that does not come with a clearly outlined instruction book.
The American Dream Essay Research Paper Americans
The American Dream Essay, Research Paper Americans have always had a universal dream ranging from marriage to freedom, and of course, money. Some Americans pursue them more diligently than others, while the others just sit and dream.
Marriage Essay Research Paper Marriage Relationships In
Marriage Essay, Research Paper Marriage Relationships In marriage realtionships we expected to learn a number of things including the comprimises couple must make with respect to such things as careers, finances, and children. Our initial impressions were that couples must be willing to make these sacrifices in order to have a long and fulfilling relationship with their spouse.
Alienation In Victorian Societ Essay Research Paper
Alienation in Victorian Society by Shivam Ray The Victorian period is often defined and pictured by its antique images of flowers, corsets, standard 18 inch waists and rosy-cheek children. However, Kate Chopin shatters this image in her Novel “The Awakening” published in 1899. The authors child hood experiences of tragedies in her family and a true story of a lady from New Orleans and her scandals greatly influence the matter of this novel.
Implied Attitudes In The Work Of Kate
Chopin Essay, Research Paper ?The Story of an Hour? and ?The Storm? are two greatly appreciated pieces of work written by Kate Chopin. The two stories differentiate in attitude toward marriage and its
The Awakening Of Women Essay Research Paper
The Awakening is a commentary on the restraints faced by women at the turn of the century. The novel is really all about independence and understanding. The peace that is offered in the promise of personal freedom concerning love and all else, shown in this novel, is enticing. Chopin writes about a woman who continues to reject the society around her, a notion too radical for Chopin’s peers.
Emily Bronte Essay Research Paper Bronte name
Emily Bronte Essay, Research Paper Bronte, name of three English novelists, also sisters, whose works, transcending Victorian conventions, have become beloved classics. The sisters Charlotte Bronte (1816-1855), Emily (Jane) Bronte (1818-1848), and Anne Bronte (1820-1849), and their brother (Patrick) Branwell Bronte (1817-1848), were born in Thornton, Yorkshire.
Jane Eyre Essay Research Paper Caretakers had
Jane Eyre Essay, Research Paper Caretakers had an important role in the renaissance and the Victorian period. Mainly women were accepted to be a caretaker while their class was usually a low one. Their duty changed from period to period, their class was not bound to be low, but still, it was lower than the person who hired them.
Jane Eyre As A Typical And Atypical
Victorian Woman Essay, Research Paper The image of Jane Eyre was certainly a startling one to the Victorian public. On the surface Jane Eyre seems like a quintessential heroine of Gothic and Sentimental literature: a plane and poor girl who, having virtuously defied the temptation of being seduced, is rewarded for her outstanding morality and chastity by the crowning elements of propriety and desirability –a husband and a fortune.
Dose Poetry Matter Essay Research Paper Does
Dose Poetry Matter Essay, Research Paper Does Poetry Matter? To me poetry does not matter. I do not like poetry because a poem is just a passage that contains a hidden meaning and I can never figure out what a poem is about. If poetry was not around then authors would just come out and say what they wanted to say . Their thoughts would not get confused and people would not miss the meaning that the author is trying to get across.
Sex Before Marriage Essay Research Paper Wait
Sex Before Marriage Essay, Research Paper Wait To Have Sex Although there are many people having sex, you shouldn’t. I am going to give you some reasons on why you shouldn’t. First of all, you
Marriage Of Figaro Essay Research Paper Marriage
Marriage Of Figaro Essay, Research Paper Marriage of Figaro: Mozart’s legacy Moores Opera center’s staging of its first opera of the semester- The marriage of Figaro (Jan. 29) filled its elegant little theatre to overflowing. The marriage of Figaro was written in 1786 on a libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte and set to music by Mozart.
SameSex Marriage Essay Research Paper Samesex Marriage
Same-Sex Marriage Essay, Research Paper Same-sex Marriage The 8th Amendment talks about freedom of speech and freedom of living life. It is not true for everyone to live his/her life by choice. When one ask someone, he/she will tell that they are in favor of equal rights for homosexuals. They will all say that gay should have equal access to government benefits and equal protection of the law, but if someone ask them about gay marriage, all this talk of equality stops.
Jane Eyre 3 Essay Research Paper In
Jane Eyre 3 Essay, Research Paper In Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte portrays one woman’s desperate struggle to attain her identity in the mist of temptation, isolation, and impossible odds. Although she processes
Victorian Literature Essay Research Paper Victorian literatureThe
Victorian Literature Essay, Research Paper Victorian literature The first decades (1830s to 1860s) of Queen Victoria’s reign produced a vigorous and varied body of literature that attempted to come to terms with the current transformations of English society, but writers in the latter decades (1870s to 1900) withdrew into AESTHETICISM, a preoccupation with sensation as an end in itself.
Argument Essay Essay Research Paper In today
Argument Essay Essay, Research Paper In today s society there are many couples that live together. Why let unmarried couples live together? There isn t a specific problem with unmarried couples that live out in the American Society. People are getting divorced left and right in today s age. More than 50% of marriages broke up during the decade of the 90 s.
Victorian Dogamatism As A Gift From The
Romantic Age And Prior Essay, Research Paper Victorian Dogmatism as a Gift from the Romantic Age and Prior Walter E. Houghton prefaces The Victorian Frame of Mind by noting, “the
Bronte Essay Research Paper emotions
Bronte Essay, Research Paper emotions — both joyful and sad. By creating an emotional see-saw from the encounters between Jane and Rochester, the novelist indicates that these intense emotions define true love. Bront ’s emphasis on the importance of passion in a good relationship adheres to some of the doctrines of the Evangelical religion, which dominated the Victorian age.
Jane Eyre Role Of Women Essay Research
Paper A traditional woman of Victorian Society was seen as a caring mother and a loving wife. She was born to give and to love. Often, the upper-class women were taught languages and the arts; this made them very well rounded and appealing to the gentlemen. In Jane Eyre, the women characters that are encountered have both traditional and non-traditional characteristics of the Victorian Society.
Marriage Essay Research Paper In the United
Marriage Essay, Research Paper In the United States most Americans have trouble understanding the concept of an arranged marriage. Arranged marriages not only affect individuals, but also society. I believe that arranged marriages are better then personal choice marriages. I came to this conclusion on the basis of other cultures other then the culture of the United States.
Amy LowellS Patterns Essay Research Paper On
Amy Lowell?S ?Patterns? Essay, Research Paper On the outside, the speaker in Amy Lowell’s “Patterns” acts the way Victorian society expects of her. However, on the inside, she expresses her emotions and what she
Marriage Easy Divorce Essay Research Paper Marriage
Marriage: Easy Divorce Essay, Research Paper Marriage: Easy Divorce Although I do not agree with getting married until you are positive that you want to have a huge commitment to another person, I favor the easier divorce.
Same Sex Marriage Essay Research Paper Same
Same Sex Marriage Essay, Research Paper Same Sex Marriage In order to address this issue, one must first define the concept or meaning of marriage. However, this is a rather subjective approach, because the way we define marriage depends on our own views and interpretations.
Madame Bovary Essay Research Paper Madame BovaryThe
Madame Bovary Essay, Research Paper Madame Bovary The Victorian era was a time of both beauty and elegance. Many wonderful novels were written during the period including Jane Erye by Charlotte Bronte and her sister Emily s famous work, Wuthering Heights. But in contrast there are novels that express Anti-Victorian sentiments as well.
Jane Eyre Passion Vs Reason Essay Research
Paper Many of Jane s values are based on reason but ultimately many of her actions and decisions are driven by the heart. Discuss The character of Jane in Charlotte Bronte s novel Jane Eyre, was entirely revolutionary for the Victorian era. Whilst her values were shaped by her environs, her actions and decisions were often driven by an intense passion often contrary to societies norms.
The Victorian Age Essay Research Paper The
The Victorian Age Essay, Research Paper The United States during the second half of the 1800s was in a stage called “The Victorian Age.” The basic style of this time was actually borrowed from the English or to be more exact Queen Victoria hence the name Victorian Age.
Romantism In Essay Research Paper Even though
Romantism In Essay, Research Paper Even though it was written in the Victorian era, Kate Chopin’s The Awakening has several romantic qualities, especially with the main character, as she struggles between society’s obligations and her own desires. Chopin writes about a woman who continues to reject the society around her, a notion too radical for Chopin’s peers.
Women In The Victorian Era Essay Research
Paper In the Victorian Era (1832-1901), women faced many challenges. Women were not treated as they are today. They were treated unfairly and not heard. There was a need for women to express their own needs as human beings, and finally overcome their hardship. But the question remained, what was their position in life? Two pieces of literature that deal with this topic are A Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen and A Woman s Thoughts about Women by Dinah Maria Mulock.
Hardy
’s Use Of Jude And Sue In Jude The Obscure Essay, Research Paper Hardy?s Use of Jude and Sue in Jude the Obscure In Jude the Obscure, Thomas Hardy presents the characters Jude Fawley and Sue Bridehead, who violate the conventions of the repressive Victorian society while attempting to follow their natural instincts.
Dover Beach Vs Dover Bitch Essay Research
Paper Hecht’s parody “Dover Bitch” is a mockery of Victorian values shown in “Dover Beach”, as well as those of his own period. Hecht candidly exaggerates the speech, ideas and symbols in “Dover Beach.”.
Legalizing Gay Marriages Essay Research Paper Would
Legalizing Gay Marriages Essay, Research Paper ?Would legalization of gay marriage be good for the gay community?? Sam Isaacson wrote an article analyzing the opinion of the gay community on legalizing same sex marriages. It is somewhat of a controversial issue with the gay community whether or not marriage is a good thing.
Art Appreciation Essay Research Paper DARK ROCKS
Art Appreciation Essay, Research Paper DARK ROCKS Georgia O Keeffe ( oil in canvas) Victorian Bouquet Severin Roesen ( Oil in canvas) In this piece of art, Georgia O Keeffe transforms ordinary natural objects (rocks) into abstract things. By setting the dark rocks against the white background she magnifies the rocks.