The Marriage to a Deceased Wife’s Sister Narrative: A Comparison of Novels

Abstract

In 1835, Lord Lyndhurst’s Act made marriage to a deceased wife’s sister illegal in England. This sparked a seven-decade debate in Parliament, pamphlets, press, and fiction, which led to the legalization of deceased wife’s sister unions throughout the Australian colonies in the 1870s and in England in 1907. Pro-reformers and anti-reformers attempted to dominate the debate with their characterizations of the men and women who engaged in such unions. This article compares fictional representations of the sister-in-law marriage plot in England and in colonial Australia, differences in pro-reform themes between these countries, and their respective legislative outcomes.

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