Details

Subject(s)

• Sex—England—History—20th century [Browse]
• Sex role—England—History—20th century [Browse]
• Intimacy (Psychology) [Browse]
• England—Social life and customs—20th century [Browse]

Author

• Fisher, Kate [Browse]

Series

• Cambridge social and cultural histories ; 16. [More in this series]
• Cambridge social and cultural histories ; 16 [More in this series]

Summary note

What did sex mean for ordinary people before the sexual revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, who were 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. These award-winning authors look beyond conventions of silence among the respectable majority to challenge stereotypes of ignorance and inhibition. Based on vivid, compelling and frank testimonies from a socially and geographically diverse range of individuals, 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. It demonstrates that while 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.

Notes

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Contents

• Part I. What was sex?: The facts of life: learning about sex in childhood and youth
• Sexual intimacies before marriage
• Part II. What was love?: Romance and love: finding a partner
• Married love: caring and sharing
• Part III. Exploring sex and love in marriage: Birth control, sex and abstinence
• Bodies
• Sex, love, duty, pleasure?
• The morning after
• Conclusion: private lives.

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Other title(s)

Cambridge University Press. History.

ISBN

9780511778353 (ebook)

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