Table of Contents

Preface; Acknowledgements; 1. Catholics and protestants; 2. Seventeenth-century England and its American colonies; 3. Secularisation, enlightenment, and the French revolution; 4. Formal and informal divorce in early modern society; 5. The meaning and context of marriage breakdown; 6. The nineteenth century: liberalisation and reaction; 7. Divorce as a social issue, 1850–1914; 8. Twentieth century and the rise of mass divorce; 9. Explaining the rise of divorce, 1870–1990; Conclusion.

Promotional Information

A fascinating study of the rapid spread of divorce and its affect on family life in Western society.

Reviews

'Roderick Phillips' new book is the first in the English language to attempt an overall view of the history of divorce in the West, from the Reformation to the present day, covering in some detail England, America and France. Putting Asunder is the result of a prodigious amount of research, and provides a clear, intelligent, scholarly, and dependable general account of the history of divorce.' Lawrence Stone, The New York Review of Books '... in its originality of concept and thoroughness of execution his book must be called an outstanding achievement'. Peter Laslett, The Times Literary Supplement