Romancing the Honeymoon: Consummating Marriage in Modern Society

Romancing the Honeymoon is the first comprehensive look at the North American honeymoon from a multidisciplinary academic perspective. Using theoretical and methodological approaches from sociology, history, and cultural studies, this benchmark study presents a compelling discussion of the cultural significance of the honeymoon ritual. The authors present data on the origins of the honeymoon, historical changes in cultural narratives about honeymooning, honeymoon advertising, the symbolic meanings of contemporary honeymoon sites (architecture, space planning, and decorating), and the individual pre-honeymoon expectations and post-honeymoon realities of a sample of contemporary newlyweds. This book is about more than honeymoons, however, as historical changes and contemporary experiences in honeymooning are related to such issues as identity construction, gender conflict, interpersonal risk, and rationality in late modern society. This highly readable volume provides a unique study and demonstrates the relevance of social theory in an approachable manner. This multidisciplinary, multi-method application will provide students and scholars in family studies, gender studies, family sociology, and cultural studies with valuable insight in to this unique custom.