The Profession of Widowhood

The Profession of Widowhood
Author :
Publisher : Catholic University of America Press
Total Pages : 447
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780813230191
ISBN-13 : 0813230195
Rating : 4/5 (91 Downloads)

Synopsis The Profession of Widowhood by : Katherine Clark Walter

The Profession of Widowhood explores how the idea of ‘true’ widowhood was central to pre-modern ideas concerning marriage and of female identity more generally. The medieval figure of the Christian vere vidua or “good” widow evolved from and reinforced ancient social and religious sensibilities of chastity, loyalty and grief as gendered ‘work.’ The ideal widow was a virtuous woman who mourned her dead husband in chastity, solitude, and most importantly, in perpetuity, marking her as “a widow indeed” (1 Tim 5:5). The widow who failed to display adequate grief fulfilled the stereotype of the ‘merry widow’ who forgot her departed spouse and abused her sexual and social freedom. Stereotypes of widows ‘good’ and ‘bad’ served highly-charged ideological functions in pre-modern culture, and have remained durable even in modern times, even as Western secular society now focuses more on a woman’s recovery from grief and possible re-coupling than the expectation that she remain forever widowed. The widow represented not only the powerful bond created by love and marriage, but also embodied the conventions of grief that ordered the response when those bonds were broken by premature death. This notion of the widow as both a passive memorial to her husband and as an active ‘rememberer’ was rooted in ancient traditions, and appropriated by early Christian and medieval authors who used “good” widowhood to describe the varieties of female celibacy and to define the social and gender order. A tradition of widowhood characterized by chastity, solitude, and permanent bereavement affirmed both the sexual mores and political agenda of the medieval Church. Medieval widows—both holy women recognized as saints and ‘ordinary women’ in medieval daily life—recognized this tradition of professed chastity in widowhood not only as a valuable strategy for avoiding remarriage and protecting their independence, but as a state with inherent dignity that afforded opportunities for spiritual development in this world and eternal merit in the next.

Happily Even After

Happily Even After
Author :
Publisher : Cleis Press
Total Pages : 288
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781936740130
ISBN-13 : 1936740133
Rating : 4/5 (30 Downloads)

Synopsis Happily Even After by : Carole Fleet

The award-winning author of Widows Wear Stilettos and grief recovery expert helps women cope with the legal and financial difficulties associated with the death of a spouse as well as going back to work, and eventually dating again. 10,000 first printing.

Finding Love After Loss

Finding Love After Loss
Author :
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages : 169
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781538152140
ISBN-13 : 1538152142
Rating : 4/5 (40 Downloads)

Synopsis Finding Love After Loss by : Marti Benedetti

Guides readers through the emotions and practical concerns of finding love after the death of a partner. Romantic love, in all its permutations, forms one of the most fascinating of human interactions. It also can be one of life’s thorniest challenges, especially in a world where relationships often unfold online and, recently, where a pandemic barred face-to-face contact with people outside one’s immediate household. Among those seeking romance in increasing numbers is a group that stands apart: the women who, slammed by the death of a spouse, bravely pursue new love. Finding Love After Loss: A Relationship Roadmap for Widows goes to the trenches to interview widows who have embarked, nervously but with hope, on this quest. Their frank and revealing interviews, along with wisdom from relationship experts, provide guidance to other women trying to navigate the relationship scene when their last date might have been decades ago. Where do widows find new partners? How much should they share in their online profile? What do they tell their friends and family? What about getting naked for the first time with a new man? Who pays when the bill appears at a restaurant? More than any time in U.S. history, the country’s widows are seeking another chance at romance. The sheer number of widows—11 million, with an average age in the fifties—makes them a formidable force. They are living longer and have broader views on sex and money. Yet it is difficult for them to find their footing. Many of them have been away from the courtship arena for decades. They may make their return to dating with children and in-laws in tow. They are confused by the new rules and unclear on the expectations but convinced that they are capable of loving again. This book, written by a widow and a co-author who dated a widower, details just how powerful, sometimes daunting, and exhilarating the journey to new love can be. It also unveils the extraordinary ways that widows are reshaping the romance landscape: by tossing traditional marriage vows by the roadside, by skipping marriage entirely, or even by committing to a new partner but living apart. This isn’t your grandmother’s widowhood scene, not by a long shot. Finding Love After Loss examines the crazy, sad, and even zany contributions that people left behind by the death of a partner bring to new relationships. At the same time, it reveals both the amazing resilience of women who have lived through great loss and the irresistible pull of human connection.

Widowhood in Medieval and Early Modern Europe

Widowhood in Medieval and Early Modern Europe
Author :
Publisher : Routledge
Total Pages : 232
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781317882763
ISBN-13 : 1317882768
Rating : 4/5 (63 Downloads)

Synopsis Widowhood in Medieval and Early Modern Europe by : Sandra Cavallo

This new collection of essays brings together brand new research on widowhood in medieval and early modern Europe. The volume opens with an introductory chapter by the Editors which looks generally at the conditions and constructions of widowhood in this period. This is followed by a range of essays which illuminate different dimensions of widowhood across Europe - in England, Italy, France, Germany and Spain. A particular attraction of the volume is the attention given to widowers, and the comparisons made between the male and female experience of widowhood. It is an exciting reinterpretation of the subject which will do much to undo the traditional stereotype of the widow. Contributing to the volume are: Jodi Bilinkoff, Giulia Calvi, Sandra Cavallo, Isabelle Chabot, Julia Crick, Amy Erikson, Dagmar Freist, Elizabeth Foyster, Margaret Pelling, Pamela Sharpe,Tim Stretton, Barbara Todd, and Lyndan Warner.

The Professional Widow

The Professional Widow
Author :
Publisher : Xlibris Corporation
Total Pages : 339
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781483685960
ISBN-13 : 1483685969
Rating : 4/5 (60 Downloads)

Synopsis The Professional Widow by : Milton Gaze

Mary finds a wonderful man, marries him and they build a life around each other. Meanwhile, meeting aspiring actress Coleen, she agrees to work in her new dress shop. Playing an Earls fiance, Coleen is required to corset herself down to twenty inches. Initially hating the constriction, she starts to love the feeling, the poise and her new sumptuous figure. Stage part over, her figure helps her to win Hollywood film parts. Mary finds that her own new corsetry entrances her husband. But the war and his Special Operations separate Mary from normality and death gives her a new profession: Widow. Marriage is for life but widowhood is not a life. Working in fashion, caring for a relative and having a young son is demanding. Months later, researching fabrics for leading stage productions, a psychic meeting, tight dress style and many admirers mean her single life is in the balance. This realisation takes her towards a second chance of committed love.

Surviving Widowhood

Surviving Widowhood
Author :
Publisher : Gefen Books
Total Pages : 200
Release :
ISBN-10 : UOM:39015059555063
ISBN-13 :
Rating : 4/5 (63 Downloads)

Synopsis Surviving Widowhood by : Esther R. Goshen-Gottstein

"It slowly began to dawn on me that, like millions of other women all over the world, I had been left forever by my husband." An estimated eighty percent of married women can expect to be widowed in the future. In Surviving Widowhood, a clinical psychologist explores her experience after the death of her husband, describing the profound changes to her understanding of herself, and her adjustment to the new configuration of her life. Addressing such aspects of widowhood as: reactions of family, especially grandchildren; her dreams, and their significance, in the aftermath of her husband's death; the importance of Jewish tradition and ritual; maintaining memories; and reintegrating into life, the result is a moving and uplifting read. Surviving Widowhood is an essential resource for women and their families and friends, as well as therapists, and at the same time is an intensely readable human story.

From One Widow to Another

From One Widow to Another
Author :
Publisher : Moody Publishers
Total Pages : 224
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781575673035
ISBN-13 : 1575673037
Rating : 4/5 (35 Downloads)

Synopsis From One Widow to Another by : Miriam Neff

"Widow" is one title women do not want to have. Yet, according to the Surgeon General’s office, 800,000 people become widows or widowers every year in the United States alone. Every aspect of a widow’s existence changes—like it or not, ready or not. These changes add to the emotional roller coaster that most women experience after losing their husband. Miriam Neff understands the ride. As she struggled to understand and accept her new role after her husband’s death, she recognized the need for women to hear from others about their experiences and what helped them transition to this new stage of life. From One Widow to Another offers practical advice for those facing the loss of a spouse. Drawing from her own loss, Neff walks with the reader through practical issues to a sense of encouragement.

Suddenly Alone

Suddenly Alone
Author :
Publisher :
Total Pages : 298
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0932520596
ISBN-13 : 9780932520593
Rating : 4/5 (96 Downloads)

Synopsis Suddenly Alone by : Philomene Gates

The Group

The Group
Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Total Pages : 193
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780190649562
ISBN-13 : 0190649569
Rating : 4/5 (62 Downloads)

Synopsis The Group by : Donald Rosenstein

On a mid-October evening, a group of fathers gathered around a conference table and met each other for the first time. None of the men had ever thought of himself a "support group kind of guy" and each felt entirely out of place. In fact, nothing about their lives felt normal anymore. The Group: Seven Widowed Fathers Reimagine Life chronicles the challenges and triumphs of seven men whose wives died from cancer and were left to raise their young children entirely on their own. Brought together by tragedy, the fathers - Neill, Dan, Bruce, Karl, Joe, Steve, and Russ - forged an uncommon bond. Over time, group meetings evolved into a forum for reinvention and transformed the men in unexpected ways. Through the fathers' poignant interactions, The Group illustrates that while some wounds never fully heal, each of us has the potential to construct a new and meaningful future. Rosenstein and Yopp, co-leaders of the support group, weave together the fathers' stories with contemporary research on grief and adaptation. The Group traces a compelling journey of healing and personal discovery that no book has ever captured before. The men's touching efforts to care for their families, grieve for their wives, and reimagine their futures will inspire anyone who has suffered a major loss.

A Widow's Story

A Widow's Story
Author :
Publisher : Harper Collins
Total Pages : 479
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780062082633
ISBN-13 : 0062082639
Rating : 4/5 (33 Downloads)

Synopsis A Widow's Story by : Joyce Carol Oates

Unlike anything Joyce Carol Oates has written before, A Widow’s Story is the universally acclaimed author’s poignant, intimate memoir about the unexpected death of Raymond Smith, her husband of forty-six years, and its wrenching, surprising aftermath. A recent recipient of National Book Critics Circle Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award, Oates, whose novels (Blonde, The Gravedigger’s Daughter, Little Bird of Heaven, etc.) rank among the very finest in contemporary American fiction, offers an achingly personal story of love and loss. A Widow’s Story is a literary memoir on a par with The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion and Calvin Trillin’s About Alice.