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Chapter 12. Towards a companionate marriage in Late Modern England?

Two critical episodes in Mary Hamilton’s courtship letters to John Dickenson
  • Anne-Christine Gardner
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English Historical Linguistics
This chapter is in the book English Historical Linguistics

Abstract

Using a Critical Discourse Analysis approach (Fairclough 1992) which combines micro and macro level analysis, this article explores how the social relationship of a privileged couple, Mary Hamilton (1756–1816) and John Dickenson (c.1757–1842), is negotiated during their courtship in 1784–85 on the basis of Hamilton’s letters in the Mary Hamilton Papers (HAM/2/15), held by The University of Manchester Library. The focus lies on two moments of crisis in which Hamilton criticises Dickenson’s behaviour concerning letter-writing and hunting practices. The couple seems to follow the ideals of the companionate marriage which emerged in the eighteenth century: they treat each other as equals, which allows Hamilton to be outspoken about her opinions, and the partners accommodate to each other’s positions.

Abstract

Using a Critical Discourse Analysis approach (Fairclough 1992) which combines micro and macro level analysis, this article explores how the social relationship of a privileged couple, Mary Hamilton (1756–1816) and John Dickenson (c.1757–1842), is negotiated during their courtship in 1784–85 on the basis of Hamilton’s letters in the Mary Hamilton Papers (HAM/2/15), held by The University of Manchester Library. The focus lies on two moments of crisis in which Hamilton criticises Dickenson’s behaviour concerning letter-writing and hunting practices. The couple seems to follow the ideals of the companionate marriage which emerged in the eighteenth century: they treat each other as equals, which allows Hamilton to be outspoken about her opinions, and the partners accommodate to each other’s positions.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements vii
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Part I. Phonology and morphology
  6. Chapter 1. Grimm’s Law and Verner’s Law 15
  7. Chapter 2. The foot in the history of English 41
  8. Chapter 3. Ambiguity resolution and the evolution of homophones in English 61
  9. Chapter 4. The threshold of productivity and the ‘irregularization’ of verbs in Early Modern English 91
  10. Part II. Syntax
  11. Chapter 5. The reanalysis of VO in the history of English 115
  12. Chapter 6. The role of (the avoidance of) centre embedding in the change from OV to VO in English 137
  13. Chapter 7. Syntactic changes in verbal clauses and noun phrases from 1500 onwards 163
  14. Chapter 8. Prepositions in Early Modern English argument structure and beyond 201
  15. Chapter 9. Should with non-past reference 225
  16. Chapter 10. Shifting responsibility in passing information 245
  17. Part III. Semantics and pragmatics
  18. Chapter 11. Theatrical practices and grammatical standardization in eighteenth-century Britain 263
  19. Chapter 12. Towards a companionate marriage in Late Modern England? 287
  20. Chapter 13. On the development of OE swā to ModE so and related changes in an atypical group of demonstratives 309
  21. Index 345
https://doi.org/10.1075/cilt.358.12gar

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements vii
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Part I. Phonology and morphology
  6. Chapter 1. Grimm’s Law and Verner’s Law 15
  7. Chapter 2. The foot in the history of English 41
  8. Chapter 3. Ambiguity resolution and the evolution of homophones in English 61
  9. Chapter 4. The threshold of productivity and the ‘irregularization’ of verbs in Early Modern English 91
  10. Part II. Syntax
  11. Chapter 5. The reanalysis of VO in the history of English 115
  12. Chapter 6. The role of (the avoidance of) centre embedding in the change from OV to VO in English 137
  13. Chapter 7. Syntactic changes in verbal clauses and noun phrases from 1500 onwards 163
  14. Chapter 8. Prepositions in Early Modern English argument structure and beyond 201
  15. Chapter 9. Should with non-past reference 225
  16. Chapter 10. Shifting responsibility in passing information 245
  17. Part III. Semantics and pragmatics
  18. Chapter 11. Theatrical practices and grammatical standardization in eighteenth-century Britain 263
  19. Chapter 12. Towards a companionate marriage in Late Modern England? 287
  20. Chapter 13. On the development of OE swā to ModE so and related changes in an atypical group of demonstratives 309
  21. Index 345
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