Married Love was an unprecedented book, which inadvertently redefined female sexuality. Often considered the forerunner of sex manuals, Married Love launched Stopes' hugely successful career as a writer. Published in 1918, Married Love surveys the intertwined relationships between marriage, sex, and contraception, which Stopes believed were the fundamental elements of a fulfilling and enriching marriage. Like any discourse, Married Love is strongly rooted in a distinct historical and cultural context. Darwinian theory and the development of eugenics had a phenomenal impact on Stopes. Recognizing the equality of women's sexual desire would give marital love great influence in shaping modern perceptions of female sexuality. Examining the social ethos of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Married Love was a pioneering book for its time. The significant transformation of gender roles during the interwar period, combined with advances in the field of sexology, Stopes' work would be another stepping stone towards the democratization of sexuality. Characterized as the period of sexual ignorance, Stopes' sexual dissatisfaction and failed marriage inspired her to begin writing Married Love. The book not only addressed the expectations and routine of sexual intercourse, but also more controversially advocated the enjoyment of regular, non-procreative sexual relations within marriage. It was the static understanding of female sexuality that caused Stopes to challenge and write avidly on the subject. For example, the female role during sex has been understood for centuries as essentially passive. The female body was generally understood as an "inferior and inverted version of the male body", however, the female orgasm was considered...... middle of paper ...... gland: "Married Love" and EM of Marie Stopes Hull's 'The Sheik'", Feminist Review, Palgrave Macmillan (1991): 64-87.- Geppert, Alexander CT "Divine Sex, Happy Marriage, Regenerate Nation: Marie Stopes' Marriage Manual Married Love and Fulfillment from a bestseller 1918 -1955”. Journal of the History of Sexuality, University of Texas Press (1998): 389-433.- Author unknown. “Birth control defamation action stops V. Sutherland” in The British Medical Journal, Vol. 1, No. 3245, BMJ Publishing Group (March 10, 1923): 445-448Websites - Francis Perrow. “Marie Stopes: 1880-1958 Planning Pioneer”, Marie Stopes International, (accessed May 3, 2010) - Author unknown. “Marie Stopes International” (accessed May 03, 2010)