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Today's Reading: The Philosophy of Love by Elinor Glyn
Today I'll be reading from a fascinating book printed in 1923. Included inside is a nice little note:
"If this Book should chance to stray, please give it a kick and send it on it's way to
Sam Baronsky
201 2rth Ave
Seattle, Wash.
U.S.A.
Thank You
B."
(That address is now a Wong Tong Seafoods Warehouse - I swear I did not make that name up)
Elinor Glyn recently had one of her books reprinted - Three Weeks - which is apparently one of the first mass-marketed women's erotic fiction novels. Rumors (i.e. wikipedia) believe that book was inspired by torrid affairs with a young british aristocrat, lasting up to and beyond her husband's death.
The backstory makes this book even more interesting. The Philosophy of Love, despite using an exclamation after nearly every sentence, is a pretty fair book on love and marriage, especially considering it was written in the '20s. Even though at that point the idea of marriage was not nearly the questionable thing it is now (between a man and a woman, to make babies, easy enough!), Glyn touches on a lot of touchy subjects, even the ridiculousness of wedding vows, which is what I'll be reading to you today:
(all exclamations included in the original text)
( long but interesting. Is that what she said? )
Of course, after all these interesting details she remarks that she brings them up only in hopes of rewording it to make it "absolutely binding" so someone can be held responsible when divorce occurs. Ah well.
"If this Book should chance to stray, please give it a kick and send it on it's way to
Sam Baronsky
201 2rth Ave
Seattle, Wash.
U.S.A.
Thank You
B."
(That address is now a Wong Tong Seafoods Warehouse - I swear I did not make that name up)
Elinor Glyn recently had one of her books reprinted - Three Weeks - which is apparently one of the first mass-marketed women's erotic fiction novels. Rumors (i.e. wikipedia) believe that book was inspired by torrid affairs with a young british aristocrat, lasting up to and beyond her husband's death.
The backstory makes this book even more interesting. The Philosophy of Love, despite using an exclamation after nearly every sentence, is a pretty fair book on love and marriage, especially considering it was written in the '20s. Even though at that point the idea of marriage was not nearly the questionable thing it is now (between a man and a woman, to make babies, easy enough!), Glyn touches on a lot of touchy subjects, even the ridiculousness of wedding vows, which is what I'll be reading to you today:
(all exclamations included in the original text)
( long but interesting. Is that what she said? )
Of course, after all these interesting details she remarks that she brings them up only in hopes of rewording it to make it "absolutely binding" so someone can be held responsible when divorce occurs. Ah well.