1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910785116203321

Autore

Szreter Simon

Titolo

Sex before the sexual revolution : intimate life in England 1918-1963 / / Simon Szreter and Kate Fisher [[electronic resource]]

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cambridge : , : Cambridge University Press, , 2010

ISBN

0-511-85117-0

1-107-21644-3

1-282-81875-9

9786612818752

0-511-77835-X

0-511-91763-5

0-511-91665-5

0-511-91861-5

0-511-91484-9

0-511-91304-4

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (viii, 458 pages) : digital, PDF file(s)

Collana

Cambridge social and cultural histories ; ; 16

Disciplina

306.70942/0904

Soggetti

Sex - England - History - 20th century

Sex role - England - History - 20th century

Intimacy (Psychology)

England Social life and customs 20th century

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

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

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

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.

Sommario/riassunto

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.