# Wedded Wife: A Feminist History of Marriage - Hardcover

by **Rachael Lennon** (Author)

**In this fascinating and insightful book, feminist curator Rachael Lennon provides an intimate and intersectional examination of the history of marriage, with a focus on the UK.**

In this **fascinating feminist history**, Rachael Lennon tells a **remarkable story of how this institution has developed** from the ancient customs of the stone age through to the modern form it takes today.

In this eminently **readable and relatable study**, Lennon also explores themes such as **the pressure to marry**, the **politics surrounding proposals**, the spectacle of marriage, the business behind it, and the politics tied to consummation as well as issues such as **taking a man's name**, the nuances of marriage vows and obedience, **'having it all'** and trying to keep up the fight to have an **enduring marriage.**

Having married her wife just a few years after the **legalisation of same sex marriage** in the United Kingdom, Lennon interweaves her **own personal experiences of marriage** with stories and anecdotes from throughout history to explore **how marriage has transformed over the years**.

In **shaking off patriarchal expectations,** Rachael examines marriage's **troubling past** and celebrates a **more joyful present**, celebrating the **feminist activists** who have fought to make marriage a pure and equitable celebration of love**, open to everyone regardless of gender or sexuality.**

She also asks **what compels us to keep making this choice?** Can we let go of the gendered baggage that we have inherited? **Can we hold true to feminist values as we commit to our partners?** And what does that look like? **How can we build on the past to continue to redefine marriage for the future?**

### Author Biography

**Rachael Lennon** was the National Trust's co-founder of the revisionist _Challenging Histories_ programme which Clare Balding claimed "will change the way history is written and thought about from this point onwards". Having grown up understanding that marriage was only for a man and a woman, she married her wife Claire in Northumberland in 2017 - just 3 years after the legalisation of same-sex marriage in the UK. Rachael lives in Durham with her wife and daughter.

**Number of Pages:** 256

**Dimensions:** 1.1 x 8.58 x 5.51 IN

**Publication Date:** May 23, 2023

## Details

- **Price:** 22.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 22.00 USD | In stock |

## Images

- Wedded Wife: A Feminist History of Marriage - Hardcover

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