BEAUTY AND MARRIAGE Marriage has always been a colorful landsca...

BEAUTY AND MARRIAGE

Marriage has always been a colorful landscape for literature, art, film and other types of media. However, with shows like "Say Yes to the Dress" and films such as "Bridesmaids," and "The Hangover", the idea of marriage becomes a focus on the wedding day and not the "what comes next." How many of you have received "save the date" cards or invitations to "destination" weddings? How many of you know brides who travel to buy their wedding gowns? How many of you know people who have had their bachelor or bachelorette parties in Las Vegas? How many of these big days end in divorce? It's a beautiful thing--all this spectacle? Or is it?

SOME THOUGHTS ON MARRIAGE:

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
― Jane Austen


“So it's not gonna be easy. It's going to be really hard; we're gonna have to work at this everyday, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, everyday. You and me... everyday.”
― Nicholas Sparks (THE NOTEBOOK)


“It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche

"When her prince pulled up/ white pick-up truck."
-Sara Evans (lyrics-Suds in the Bucket)


1. Please view the trailer for The Big Wedding. (It goes fast-this trailer--but keep in mind: DiNiro and Keaton want to "pretend" they are still married for appearances and they actually adopted a child while they were wed).
2. Read THE FUTURE OF MARRIAGE.
3. Read THE GIFT OF THE MAGI.

Then, respond by sharing your thoughts on the incredibly enduring mystique in American Culture of the beauty of a lifetime commitment. For certain, a life-long successful marriage is a whole lot more than romance. Your posting should answer the question: Is marriage a "thing of beauty" or not?

Remember to include your readings in your presentation.