| Collation |
viii, 458 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm. |
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text txt rdacontent |
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unmediated n rdamedia |
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volume nc rdacarrier |
| Series |
Cambridge social and cultural histories ; 16 |
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Cambridge social and cultural histories ; 16.
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| Bibliog. |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 421-444) and indexes. |
| Contents |
1. Introduction : Oral history and private lives ; What's in it for them? ; The interviewees and their historical contexts ; How historians have understood marriage and intimacy in this period : Gender relations and companionate marriage ; Methodologies and the history of marriage and sexuality ; This book's scope and its limitations -- pt. I. What was sex? 2. The facts of life: learning about sex in childhood and youth : A culture of sexual ignorance? ; 'Parents didn't tell you' ; 'I wanted to keep you innocent' ; 'Oh yes, I knew...but it was theoretical of course' ; 'You've got to love somebody to do that' ; 'Lads...knew all the rude words' -- 3. Sexual intimacies before marriage : 'I wanted to be a virgin when I got married' ; 'I were always on my guard' ; 'She allowed me to go further than I wanted to' ; 'You played the field, and weighed them up' ; 'We came close to doing it but we didn't' ; 'If you will play with fire you get burnt' -- pt. II. What was love? 4. Romance and love: finding a partner : 'Don't get mixed up too serious' ; 'Automatically floated into marriage' ; 'There was nothing special' ; 'She was on the same wavelength' -- 5. Married love: caring and sharing : 'A real, good, loving, working marriage' ; 'I'm not going out to work and coming home, making my own tea!' ; 'Mind you, we always helped one another to do anything' -- pt. III. Exploring sex and love in marriage. 6. Birth control, sex and abstinence : 'You made sure you didn't have the full intercourse' ; 'I suppose there were times...I'd rather...forget it' ; 'She said, "I'll see what I can do. I'll call in at that Marie Stopes Clinic"' ; 'Well, then she really, sort of, drew up the drawbridge' -- 7. Bodies : 'You dare expose your body to your mother' ; 'I've seen male figures like in museums and things' ; 'It's what you're born with; can't do much about it' ; 'People said she could have been a mannequin' ; 'Very smart and very, very tidy and very clean' ; 'If you planned to love each other...you had to be very hygienic' -- 8. Sex, love, duty, pleasure? : 'It's an expression of love' ; 'It was more vital for men' ; 'You could call it a duty to be performed' ; 'Give her the impression that it's not just sex' ; 'I'd cuddle up to him, if he'd had a bath' ; 'Just when the mood took us' ; 'It doesn't concern anybody else' -- 9. The morning after : 'The fantastic buzz has gone out of sex, so goodbye' ; 'It's creative and instinctive' ; 'I would've been more adventurous if I was young now' -- Conclusion: private lives. |
| Summary |
"What did sex mean for ordinary people before the sexual revolution of the 1960s and 1970s? Often pitied by later generations as repressed, unfulfilled and full of moral anxiety, this book provides the first rounded, first-hand account of sexuality in marriage in the early and mid twentieth century. Based on vivid, compelling and frank testimonies from a socially and geographically diverse range of individuals, these award-winning authors look beyond the conventions of silence among the respectable majority to challenge stereotypes of ignorance and inhibition. The book explores a spectrum of sexual experiences, from learning about sex and sexual practices in courtship, to attitudes to the body, marital ideals and birth control, demonstrating that whilst the era's emphasis on silence and strict moral codes could for some be a source of inhibition and dissatisfaction, for many the culture of privacy and innocence was central to fulfilling and pleasurable intimate lives" -- provided by publisher. |
| Note |
Gift of the Estate of Norman Wilkinson. |
| Subject |
Sex -- England -- History -- 20th century.
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Sex role -- England -- History -- 20th century.
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Intimacy (Psychology)
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England -- Social life and customs -- 20th century.
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| Alt Author |
Fisher, Kate.
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| ISBN |
9780521760041 (hardback) |
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0521760046 (hardback) |
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9780521149327 (paperback) |
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0521149320 (paperback) |
| ISBN/ISSN |
40018694680 |
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