What's the opposite of a cougar?

[delphipsmith]

Rereading Gone With the Wind for about the thirteenth time and loving it, as always. However, for the first time I really noticed some of the ages mentioned, and was a bit taken aback. Gerald O'Hara is 43 when he marries Ellen Robillard, who is only 15. Suellen O'Hara's "beau" Frank Kennedy is 40 and she's 14. And Rhett Butler is mentioned as being 30 or 35 at the beginning of the novel and Scarlett is only 16.

For some reason this never struck me before, but even for the 1860s this seems rather a wide age disparity.

Comments

[nocturnus33]

It depends on the cultural setting. In Chile could have been possible 60 years ago. (Not now)

My inlaws were 16 and 30 when they marry. He was a workman and she a country girl. Back then in 1958, it would have been frown upon in other social class but not unusual in lower social classes.

But it was possible for upper classes one generation before them:

My mother in law was a high school student when my grandpa started teaching her as a history teacher at her school. They both came from very posh families. They fall in love....and my great grandparents decided that my grandma has to drop out from school so they continue their courting.

Both my grandparents and my in-laws had very happy marriages.

[delphipsmith]

True -- the younger you marry, the more happy years you can have together :)

[nocturnus33]

Either that or you turn yourself in to a very young widow ;)

[By the way: My daughter is 19, if she decide to date a man 20 years her senior I will faint]