I guess it depends on how you define polyamory. . .
Adultery and homosexuality were common in the upper classes, and I think many couples had discreet agreements not to interfere with one another's extracurricular activities, but I suspect sharing a lover (even if they took it in turns, rather than all together) was fairly uncommon. And I think it would have been percieved as outrageous if such a relationship became common knowledge. Again, not to say it never happened, but when it did, I think it was kept quite hush hush. For women especially, the costs of flouting social conventions could be quite high.
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Date: 2004-09-22 01:07 pm (UTC)Adultery and homosexuality were common in the upper classes, and I think many couples had discreet agreements not to interfere with one another's extracurricular activities, but I suspect sharing a lover (even if they took it in turns, rather than all together) was fairly uncommon. And I think it would have been percieved as outrageous if such a relationship became common knowledge. Again, not to say it never happened, but when it did, I think it was kept quite hush hush. For women especially, the costs of flouting social conventions could be quite high.