Att fästa sig vid staten

Overview & Synopsis

The expression ""to attach oneself to the state"" is a paraphrase for entering into marriage: when a man married, he was also considered to attach himself to the state and become a cog in a larger context. Marriage was seen at the end of the 18th century as a foundation for social order. But what was behind that perception and how were matters of marriage discussed? In parliament, newspapers, pamphlets and advice literature, writers and other debaters laid out the text of why marriage was so important and how spouses should live their lives to benefit the common good. The falcon, the tyrant and the slipper were, along with government-loving and flamboyant women, some of the figures that appeared. The characters served as deterrent examples and contributed to shaping the norms about gender, work, responsibility that characterized Sweden around the turn of the 1800s.