Courtship - Some Practical Advice

The anonymous Courtship of 1936 is brisk and practical; it only descends to technicality it its appendix on the practical, legal business of marriage (banns, impediments, registrars and so on). Hubert McEvoy’s 1951 text, on the other hand, is wordier, more theoretical, and conveys an idealized picture of marriage and courtship. It is notably light on practical detail. Nevertheless it was frequently reprinted until the early 1970s; only the cover picture was updated. Tony Kirwin’s Going Steady of 1964 is a very different text. It takes self-conscious aim at older teenagers and, although much of its language and assumptions have dated, it is not afraid to be clear where its predecessors were intentionally vague. Brennan’s 1974 Sex Education is aimed not at young people but at parents, catechists, teachers and whoever else has the unenviable task of trying to convince them of the value of chastity. It recasts traditional teaching in contemporary language.