[rchaud]

What they're really saying is to start thinking of marriage in Dickensian terms, when the impetus for coupling up was transactional (basic survival, mutual aid) rather than romantic love as we're accustomed to framing it today.

There are a lot of people in the modern world who need exactly that, but are in hock to cinematic depictions of marriage and feel that evaluating their needs from the angle of pure survival is unnatural.

[qgin]

That’s really interesting. I’d love to hear from more people who went this route to see what their experiences have been, especially when it comes to not just getting by in life, but the emotional connection OP is looking for, people, maybe if there are certain personality types more amenable to this way of approaching partnership.

[dgudkov]

Yes, that's very close to what I meant.