What Is Marriage For? The Strange Social History of Our Most Intimate Institution is a 1999 book by the journalist E. J. Graff in which the author advocates the legal recognition of same-sex marriage. It drew both supportive and critical commentary.
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| Author | E. J. Graff |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Beacon Press |
Publication date | 1 June 1999 |
| Pages | 303 |
| ISBN | 978-0807041147 |
Background and publication history
editE. J. Graff is a journalist. She co-wrote the 2005 book Getting Even: Why Women Don't Get Paid Like Men—and What to Do About It with the businesswoman and politician Evelyn Murphy.[1]
What Is Marriage For? was first published in 1999 by Beacon Press.[2] In 2004 it was reissued in paperback with a foreword by the journalist Richard Goldstein.[3]
Reception
editWhat Is Marriage For? received positive reviews from Publishers Weekly,[2] Joseph Glenmullen in The Boston Globe,[4] Anne Kingston in The Globe and Mail,[5] and Marilyn Murray Willison in The Washington Post Book World;[6] a mixed review from the legal scholar Nancy Polikoff in The Women's Review of Books;[7] and a negative review from Christopher Carrington in Qualitative Sociology.[8] It was also reviewed by the anthropologist Ellen Lewin in GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies,[9] Stephen Duncombe in Newsday,[10] Jose Gabilondo in the Washington Blade,[11] and Paul Kafka in the San Francisco Chronicle.[12]
A reviewer for Publishers Weekly described the book as "a lively feminist treatise on why same-sex marriage should be legalized in the United States" and commended Graff's presentation of the history of marriage in the western world. The reviewer found the book somewhat repetitive, and suggested that Graff had underestimated the "tenacity" of opposing views.[2] Glenmullen described the prose as "clear, well-organized, and easy to read". He credited Graff with providing "a thought-provoking review of the vicissitudes of this ancient institution".[4] Kingston praised the book as "a font of fascinating information". She wrote that Graff had made a compelling case for same-sex marriage.[5] Willison found the book entertaining and informative, writing that Graff's "breezy tone" and first-person commentary enlivened her "encyclopedic collection of facts, observations and insights".[6]
Polikoff called What Is Marriage For? an important book, but disagreed with Graff's premise that the institution of marriage was worth upholding. She recommended the work of the legal theorist Martha Fineman, who advocated the abolition of marriage.[7] Carrington reviewed What Is Marriage For? alongside Karla Hackstaff's Marriage in a Culture of Divorce. He wrote that, while Graff's book was entertaining and wide-reaching, he found it "flippant, careless, and patently unfair". He stated that Graff ought to have critiqued conventional monogamous marriage, rather than set it as the ideal for gay people.[8]
References
editCitations
edit- ^ JAWS 2012.
- ^ a b c Publishers Weekly 1999.
- ^ Bronski 2004.
- ^ a b Glenmullen 1999.
- ^ a b Kingston 1999.
- ^ a b Willison 1999.
- ^ a b Polikoff 1999.
- ^ a b Carrington 2002.
- ^ Lewin 2001.
- ^ Duncombe 1999.
- ^ Gabilondo 1999.
- ^ Kafka 1999.
Bibliography
edit- Bronski, Michael (23 February 2004). "The Battle for Gay Marriage". Publishers Weekly. Vol. 251, no. 8. pp. 20–21. ISSN 0000-0019.
- Carrington, Christopher (2002). "Review Essay: Marriage". Qualitative Sociology. 25 (1): 165–168. doi:10.1023/A:1014380913536. S2CID 146650560.
- Duncombe, Stephen (22 July 1999). "Marriage Through the Ages". Newsday. p. B02. ProQuest 279203612.
- Gabilondo, Jose (2 July 1999). "June brides and May(be) grooms: Author ponders the history and meaning of marriage". Washington Blade. Vol. 30, no. 27. pp. 31–32. ISSN 0278-9892.
- Glenmullen, Joseph (27 June 1999). "A biography of marriage filled with surprises". The Boston Globe. p. 43.
- "E.J. Graff". jaws.org. Journalism & Women Symposium. 11 July 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
- Kafka, Paul (1 August 1999). "A Case for Same-Sex Marriage as a Human and Civil Right". San Francisco Chronicle.
- Kingston, Anne (14 August 1999). "Marriage à la moment". The Globe and Mail. p. D17. ISSN 0319-0714.
- Lewin, Ellen (1 September 2001). "It's All in the Family". GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies. 7 (4): 655–662. doi:10.1215/10642684-7-4-655. ISSN 1527-9375. S2CID 144738577.
- Polikoff, Nancy (October 1999). "Better Dead than Wed?". The Women's Review of Books. 17 (1): 19–20. doi:10.2307/4023367. JSTOR 4023367.
- "Nonfiction Book Review". Publishers Weekly. Vol. 246, no. 22. 31 May 1999. p. 79. ProQuest 197041392.
- Willison, Marilyn Murray (1 August 1999). "Family Issues". The Washington Post Book World. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
External links
edit
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