Conflicting Expectations in Nineteenth-Century British Matrimony: The Failed Companionate Marriage of Effie Gray and John Ruskin

At the time of young Scotswoman Effie Gray's marriage to nineteenth-century British art critic John Ruskin, the ideal of companionate marriage was becoming securely established within the middle class. The couple's conflicting expectations and interpretations of the companionate ideal led to estrangement and marital breakdown at a time when divorce reform was widely discussed. The author concentrates on Effie's experience and her courage in enduring and eventually leaving the relationship.