The History of Human Marriage by Edward Westermarck

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Author Westermarck, Edward, 1862-1939
Author of introduction, etc. Wallace, Alfred Russel, 1823-1913
Title The History of Human Marriage
Third Edition
Note Reading ease score: 74.1 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read.
Contents Introduction -- The origin of marriage -- A human pairing season in primitive times -- The antiquity of human marriage -- A criticism of the hypothesis of promiscuity -- Marriage and celibacy -- The courtship of man -- Means of attraction -- The liberty of choice -- Sexual selection among animals -- The sexual selection of man: typical beauty -- The law of similarity -- Prohibition of marriage between kindred -- Sexual selection as influenced by affection and sympathy, and by calculation -- Marriage by capture and marriage by purchase -- The decay of marriage by purchase; the marriage portion -- Marriage ceremonies and rites -- The forms of human marriage -- The duration of human marriage -- Summary.
Credits E-text prepared by Turgut Dincer, Les Galloway, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by HathiTrust Digital Library (https://www.hathitrust.org/)
Summary "The History of Human Marriage" by Edward Westermarck is a scientific publication written in the late 19th century. The work explores the origins and development of marriage through various anthropological and sociological perspectives, assessing its implications across different cultures and time periods. Westermarck aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of marriage as a fundamental social institution, challenging established notions from previous scholars. The opening of the book presents an introduction by Alfred R. Wallace, who highlights the philosophical rigor and comprehensive nature of Westermarck’s argument. Westermarck outlines his approach to investigating human marriage scientifically, emphasizing the importance of ethnography in understanding social phenomena beyond mere historical documentation. He critiques earlier theories about marriage derived from primitive customs, insisting on a careful examination of the sociological underpinnings that influence the evolution of marriage. The early chapters promise an exploration of marriage’s connection to parental care in the animal kingdom as well as its roots in human society, setting the stage for a detailed inquiry into the various forms and customs of marriage throughout history. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Language English
LoC Class HQ: Social sciences: The family, Marriage, Sex and Gender
Subject Marriage -- History
Category Text
EBook-No. 59386
Release Date
Most Recently Updated Jun 15, 2020
Copyright Status Public domain in the USA.
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