Love, Intimacy and Power: Marriage and Patriarchy in Scotland, 1650-1850

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Through an extensive analysis of correspondence among over one hundred elite Scottish couples from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries, the book examines the evolution of emotional intimacy, love, and friendship in marriage amid societal changes. While patriarchy remained dominant, women carved out spaces of influence within the family, though this did not extend beyond the household. By comparing Scotland's experience with that of Europe and North America, the author highlights how Scottish concepts of gender and marriage gained cultural prominence in the eighteenth century.