Jesserson, Susanna

Susanna Jesserson (f   l. 1675) is the author of A Bargain for Bachelors, Or: The Best Wife in the World for a Penny (1675), a brief marriage manual addressed to Restoration gallants reluctant to wed but also containing advice on women’s conduct within marriage. Along with flashes of levity, the pamphlet offers serious if condensed counsel on choosing a spouse and maintaining a successful marriage. While putting forward a strongly masculinist view of marital hierarchy, Jesserson also attends to marriage’s interpersonal and emotional dynamics, advocating for mutual trust in financial matters and arguing that “like humour” is the best grounds for “love.”