{"id":{"repo_id":"unt","oai_identifier":"info:ark/67531/metadc4921"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/unt/info:ark/67531/metadc4921","repository":{"repo_id":"unt","name":"University of North Texas","base_url":"https://digital.library.unt.edu/oai/"},"display":{"title":"Change of Condition: Women's Rhetorical Strategies on Marriage, 1710-1756","abstract":"This dissertation examines ways in which women constructed and criticized matrimony both before and after their own marriages. Social historians have argued for the rise of companionacy in the eighteenth century without paying attention to women's accounts of the fears and uncertainties surrounding the prospect of marriage. I argue that having more latitude to choose a husband did not diminish the enormous impact that the choice would have on the rest of a woman's life; if anything, choice might increase that impact. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, Hester Mulso Chapone, Mary Delany, and Eliza Haywood recorded their anxieties about and their criticisms of marriage in public and private writings from the early years of the century into the 1750s. They often elide their own complex backgrounds in favor of generalized policy statements on what constitutes a good marriage. These women promote an ideal of marriage based on respect and similarity of character, suggesting that friendship is more honest, and durable than romantic love. This definition of ideal marriage enables these women to argue for more egalitarian marital relationships without overtly calling for a change in the wife's traditional role. The advancement of this ideal of companionacy gave women a means of promoting gender equality in marriage at a time when they considered marriage risky but socially and economically necessary.","abstract_html":"This dissertation examines ways in which women constructed and criticized matrimony both before and after their own marriages. Social historians have argued for the rise of companionacy in the eighteenth century without paying attention to women's accounts of the fears and uncertainties surrounding the prospect of marriage. I argue that having more latitude to choose a husband did not diminish the enormous impact that the choice would have on the rest of a woman's life; if anything, choice might increase that impact. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, Hester Mulso Chapone, Mary Delany, and Eliza Haywood recorded their anxieties about and their criticisms of marriage in public and private writings from the early years of the century into the 1750s. They often elide their own complex backgrounds in favor of generalized policy statements on what constitutes a good marriage. These women promote an ideal of marriage based on respect and similarity of character, suggesting that friendship is more honest, and durable than romantic love. This definition of ideal marriage enables these women to argue for more egalitarian marital relationships without overtly calling for a change in the wife's traditional role. The advancement of this ideal of companionacy gave women a means of promoting gender equality in marriage at a time when they considered marriage risky but socially and economically necessary.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Wood, Laura Thomason"],"institution":"University of North Texas","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Pettit, Alexander","Armintor, Deborah Needleman","Morris, Marilyn"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2005,"date_issued":"2005-12","date_published":"2005-12","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:35:09Z","subjects":["Marriage -- England -- History -- 18th century.","Married women -- England -- History -- 18th century.","Marriage in literature.","English literature -- 18th century -- History and criticism.","Montagu, Mary Wortley, Lady, 1689-1762 -- Criticism and interpretation.","Chapone, Mrs (Hester), 1727-1801 -- Criticism and interpretation.","Delany, Mrs (Mary), 1700-1788 -- Criticism and interpretation.","Haywood, Eliza Fowler, 1693?-1756 -- Criticism and interpretation.","companionacy","matrimony","gender equality","marriage","18th century"],"languages":["English"],"rights":["Public","Copyright","Wood, Laura Thomason","Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["oclc: 70043602","https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4921/","ark: ark:/67531/metadc4921"],"render_values":[{"text":"oclc: 70043602","href":null,"code":true},{"text":"https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4921/","href":"https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4921/","code":true},{"text":"ark: ark:/67531/metadc4921","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://doi.org/10.12794/metadc4921","outbound_label":"DOI","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Pettit, Alexander","Armintor, Deborah Needleman","Morris, Marilyn"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Wood, Laura Thomason"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2005-12"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["University of North Texas"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis or Dissertation"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Marriage -- England -- History -- 18th century.","Married women -- England -- History -- 18th century.","Marriage in literature.","English literature -- 18th century -- History and criticism.","Montagu, Mary Wortley, Lady, 1689-1762 -- Criticism and interpretation.","Chapone, Mrs (Hester), 1727-1801 -- Criticism and interpretation.","Delany, Mrs (Mary), 1700-1788 -- Criticism and interpretation.","Haywood, Eliza Fowler, 1693?-1756 -- Criticism and interpretation.","companionacy","matrimony","gender equality","marriage","18th century"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Public","Copyright","Wood, Laura Thomason","Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["oclc: 70043602","doi: 10.12794/metadc4921","https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4921/","ark: ark:/67531/metadc4921"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["This dissertation examines ways in which women constructed and criticized matrimony both before and after their own marriages. Social historians have argued for the rise of companionacy in the eighteenth century without paying attention to women's accounts of the fears and uncertainties surrounding the prospect of marriage. I argue that having more latitude to choose a husband did not diminish the enormous impact that the choice would have on the rest of a woman's life; if anything, choice might increase that impact. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, Hester Mulso Chapone, Mary Delany, and Eliza Haywood recorded their anxieties about and their criticisms of marriage in public and private writings from the early years of the century into the 1750s. They often elide their own complex backgrounds in favor of generalized policy statements on what constitutes a good marriage. These women promote an ideal of marriage based on respect and similarity of character, suggesting that friendship is more honest, and durable than romantic love. This definition of ideal marriage enables these women to argue for more egalitarian marital relationships without overtly calling for a change in the wife's traditional role. The advancement of this ideal of companionacy gave women a means of promoting gender equality in marriage at a time when they considered marriage risky but socially and economically necessary."]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["Text"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Change of Condition: Women's Rhetorical Strategies on Marriage, 1710-1756"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Pettit, Alexander","Armintor, Deborah Needleman","Morris, Marilyn"],"dc:creator":["Wood, Laura Thomason"],"dc:date":["2005-12"],"dc:description":["This dissertation examines ways in which women constructed and criticized matrimony both before and after their own marriages. Social historians have argued for the rise of companionacy in the eighteenth century without paying attention to women's accounts of the fears and uncertainties surrounding the prospect of marriage. I argue that having more latitude to choose a husband did not diminish the enormous impact that the choice would have on the rest of a woman's life; if anything, choice might increase that impact. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, Hester Mulso Chapone, Mary Delany, and Eliza Haywood recorded their anxieties about and their criticisms of marriage in public and private writings from the early years of the century into the 1750s. They often elide their own complex backgrounds in favor of generalized policy statements on what constitutes a good marriage. These women promote an ideal of marriage based on respect and similarity of character, suggesting that friendship is more honest, and durable than romantic love. This definition of ideal marriage enables these women to argue for more egalitarian marital relationships without overtly calling for a change in the wife's traditional role. The advancement of this ideal of companionacy gave women a means of promoting gender equality in marriage at a time when they considered marriage risky but socially and economically necessary."],"dc:format":["Text"],"dc:identifier":["oclc: 70043602","doi: 10.12794/metadc4921","https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4921/","ark: ark:/67531/metadc4921"],"dc:language":["English"],"dc:publisher":["University of North Texas"],"dc:rights":["Public","Copyright","Wood, Laura Thomason","Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved."],"dc:subject":["Marriage -- England -- History -- 18th century.","Married women -- England -- History -- 18th century.","Marriage in literature.","English literature -- 18th century -- History and criticism.","Montagu, Mary Wortley, Lady, 1689-1762 -- Criticism and interpretation.","Chapone, Mrs (Hester), 1727-1801 -- Criticism and interpretation.","Delany, Mrs (Mary), 1700-1788 -- Criticism and interpretation.","Haywood, Eliza Fowler, 1693?-1756 -- Criticism and interpretation.","companionacy","matrimony","gender equality","marriage","18th century"],"dc:title":["Change of Condition: Women's Rhetorical Strategies on Marriage, 1710-1756"],"dc:type":["Thesis or Dissertation"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:35:09Z"}