Abstract
The connection between marriage and lotteries emerged with the first British state lotteries and persisted throughout the eighteenth century in British America, despite the welldocumented rise of companionate marriage. Drawing extensively on newspapers rather than fiction or prescriptive literature, Keiter reveals a deep current of skepticism about these changing ideals. Lottery analogies and satirical lottery schemes circulated widely, showing a shared set of expectations and concerns in the young nation. These tropes emphasized the continued centrality of wealth to marriage while suggesting that marital happiness remained a gamble with unfavorable odds.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-41 |
| Number of pages | 41 |
| Journal | Early American Studies |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 2023 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Cultural Studies
- History
- Visual Arts and Performing Arts
- Religious studies
- Philosophy
- Music
- Literature and Literary Theory