Article: Husband's Helper Wanted--Must Be Docile and Energetic.(Arts&Entertainment)

Byline: Alexandra Jacobs

A History of the Wife, by Marilyn Yalom. HarperCollins, 441 pages, $30.

Didn't anyone else feel the least bit upset when Gloria Steinem got married?

I was shocked by how unshocked everyone was by this news, how insignificant everybody seemed to think it was. It's as if half the population presupposed that the other half was going to take umbrage-and were ready to rear up indignantly, defensively on Ms. Steinem's behalf. But no defense was needed-nobody was offended! Of course, there is the beatific, "c'mon, let two middle-aged people have their happiness" tack, the collective Awww!, the temporary suspension of cynicism ...

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