Some Reflections upon Marriage
“If she neglects those Methods which are necessary to keep her, not only from a Crime, but from the very Suspicion of one?”
This line from the text of Mary Astell’s Some Reflections upon Marriage was notable to me while reading. Just before this line Astell discussed all the desired traits that could be wanted out of a woman for marriage, but this quoted line suggests that no woman can ever be good enough in a man’s eyes for a woman to have no martial problems. This line also suggests that Astell is stating the more beautiful and put together a wife is, the less likely any person would ever suspect of something unsavory happening within that marriage. The realisticness and harshness of this work is captivating to me.
