Searching the Heart by Karen Lystra
This is well-argued study of romantic love between men and women in nineteenth-century America. Lystra discusses middle-class ideas of love in terms of their contribution to American individualism, to the secularization of American life, and to women's empowerment in the home through sharing knowledge and intimacy with men.
'This eminently readable scholarly study draws on archival evidence from the love letters of more than 100 Americans to reveal that, however reserved their public behaviour, middle-class couples of the Victorian era valued and sought emotional and physical intimacy in private[The author] unveils a world of sentiment shielded by an epistolary veil in which a couple could display their 'true' selves while developing, testing and celebrating their shared commitment ... The author goes beyond letters to investigate the effect of romantic love on marriage, on sex roles in society and on American religious sensibilities.' Publishers Weekly
'The book challenges some of the prevailing tenets in the historical literature ... Lystra calls into question claims ... that women maintained their depest and most personal ties with other women ... It is here that she has made perhaps her most important contribution. Original, deeply informed, and elegantly written, [the book] enriches and transforms our understanding of highly personal relationships that had powerful social and cultural consequences. Lystra deserves the widest readership among students of nineteenth-century America." Mary Kelley, Journal of American History
'The book challenges some of the prevailing tenets in the historical literature ... Lystra calls into question claims ... that women maintained their depest and most personal ties with other women ... It is here that she has made perhaps her most important contribution. Original, deeply informed, and elegantly written, [the book] enriches and transforms our understanding of highly personal relationships that had powerful social and cultural consequences. Lystra deserves the widest readership among students of nineteenth-century America." Mary Kelley, Journal of American History
Karen Lystra is Professor of American Studies at California State University, Fullerton.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780195074765 |
| ISBN 10 | 0195074769 |
| Title | Searching the Heart |
| Author | Karen Lystra |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press Inc |
| Year published | 1993-01-14 |
| Number of pages | 352 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |