Elizabeth Abbott
Author
Language
English
Description
"A lively and nuanced look at gender roles as they have been revealed by the lives of concubines and mistresses over the centuries" (Kirkus).
She exists as both a fictional character and as a flesh-and-blood human being. But who is she, really? Why do women become mistresses, and what is it like to have a private life that is usually also a secret life? Is a mistress merely a wife-in-waiting, or is she the very definition of the emancipated, independent...
Author
Language
English
Description
What does the "tradition of marriage" really look like? In A History of Marriage, Elizabeth Abbott paints an often surprising picture of this most public, yet most intimate, institution. Ritual of romance, or social obligation? Eternal bliss, or cult of domesticity? Abbott reveals a complex tradition that includes same-sex unions, arranged marriages, dowries, self-marriages, and child brides. Marriage-in all its loving, unloving, decadent, and impoverished...
Author
Language
English
Formats
Description
Renowned author Elizabeth Abbott, who lived and wrote in Haiti, begins with the notorious Duvaliers-father and son-and explores their legacy to the present day. In 1803, the enslaved people of Haiti vanquished their French masters after a bloody war which left tens of thousands dead. Since then, the Haitian people have endured more than one corrupt regime that drove millions into exile, cowed those who remained, and tortured hundreds of thousands....
Author
Publisher
Duckworth
Pub. Date
c2010
Physical Desc
xiv, 510 p. ; 24 cm.
Language
English
Description
"She has been known as the 'kept woman', the 'fancy woman' and the 'other woman'. She is both a fictional character and flesh-and-blood human being. But who is she, really? What do Madame de Pompadour, Heloise, Marilyn Monroe, Jane Eyre and Camilla Parker-Bowles have in common? Why do women become mistresses, and what is it like to have a private life that is usually also a secret life? Is a mistress merely a wife-in-waiting, or is she the very definition...