Difference between revisions of "426--Week 3 Questions/Comments--Tuesday"
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(New page: The first section of chapter seven of the ''American Manhood'' reading struck me as really interesting. I had known that there was a change in the way the actual marriage ceremony took pl...) |
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The first section of chapter seven of the ''American Manhood'' reading struck me as really interesting. I had known that there was a change in the way the actual marriage ceremony took place, but I admit I was largely unaware of the scope and significance of the changes. There were some particularly obvious things, such as the fact that wedding dresses previous to this change could be the nicest dress that the bride already own, or if a new one was made it usually was not today's standard white, at least on the information we have today about known or attributed wedding gowns. It was interesting to begin to understand the changes that took place in regards to community interaction and the focus on the two individuals being wed. I also found the modern sense of the feeling of intimacy, on all counts, increased in the nineteenth century. That we get more sense that men and women thus united found themselves knowing, if not every last detail, but a great deal more of the personal aspects of their spouse is very interesting. Of course there are other aspects to marriages, such as divorce and alienation of the partners, that counterbalance this ideal and give history the character it deserves. -Lacey | The first section of chapter seven of the ''American Manhood'' reading struck me as really interesting. I had known that there was a change in the way the actual marriage ceremony took place, but I admit I was largely unaware of the scope and significance of the changes. There were some particularly obvious things, such as the fact that wedding dresses previous to this change could be the nicest dress that the bride already own, or if a new one was made it usually was not today's standard white, at least on the information we have today about known or attributed wedding gowns. It was interesting to begin to understand the changes that took place in regards to community interaction and the focus on the two individuals being wed. I also found the modern sense of the feeling of intimacy, on all counts, increased in the nineteenth century. That we get more sense that men and women thus united found themselves knowing, if not every last detail, but a great deal more of the personal aspects of their spouse is very interesting. Of course there are other aspects to marriages, such as divorce and alienation of the partners, that counterbalance this ideal and give history the character it deserves. -Lacey | ||
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| + | Most of the changes in the family that Mintz and Kellogg describe in this chapter (the home became a sanctuary, family members were supposed to give emotional support to one another, women took on purely domestic roles rather than productive roles, etc) they attribute to the fact that men were working outside of the home. Instead of producing everything they needed from within the household, they were working elsewhere, making a salary, and buying what they needed. So what about more rural families? They were still living on largely self-sufficient farms, so did they not undergo these changes? I would guess that the advice manuals, magazine articles, and other bits of literature about the new ideal family were reaching them (at least to some extent). So I wonder if they felt pressure to conform to this new ideal of the family even though their lifestyle was not really conducive to it. I think it would be hard for some woman on a farm, who has to work alongside her husband producing everything the household needed, to also conform to the ideal mother who is totally focused on domestic tasks and sensitive child rearing. It reminds me of "Little House on the Prairie." Laura's mom would do something like build a barn or drive hostile indians off of her land, and then she would put on a nice dress and act very feminine and delicate and totally dependent on her husband. -- Rebecca | ||
