The coverage of the abolitionists vs. slaveowning advocates debate on
the brink of the civil war is interesting, as well as its relation to
the change of the views on marriage. All of us materialists know that
the debate was a sideshow rather than the root cause of the conflict
between North and South, and the abolitionists were scarcely paid
attention to. However, it is interesting how both sides tried to use
the analogy of master-slave and husband-wife relation to their
advantage.  The slavery advocates -- to equalize them as proper, and
the nascent women rights agitators -- to denounce both as a form of
oppression. Oh, yeah a "free love" commune was established in Berlin,
Ohio in 1850-ies. Now it is the capital of the Amish country. I doubt
free love is germane there any longer.

In general, one is sort of used to think of modern-day marriage (err,
between a man and a woman) as being a rather simple, square thing that
is not all that hard to define.

However, it is surprising how people of the background that one would
think is rather close to modern -- in Protestant North America of the
last couple of centuries, struggled with the definition, had to invoke
the analogy of the state and its citizens or the sovereign and his
subjects. And how the views on marriage changed together with the
views on the state. Ideas are truly a powerful force in its own right,
they take time to develop and take on a life of their own afterwards.

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I think the writing and analysis of the marriage book is pretty solid.
I'd say it exceeded expectations.  The author, being a woman
notwithstanding, rather tactfully does not shove "women's issues" in
your face. But calmly proceeds with her exposition.  The subject is
slightly dull, mostly because, well what could possibly happen to
marriage in 200 years that we don't know about.  One downside of the
book is a relative scarcity of empirical examples and testimonials (or
at least the examples that we have not heard before). Just to make the
narrative more lively, she might have dug up some fun stuff.

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have about 20 pages to go. It grows increasingly boring.