is it worth remarking, at this late date, on the near-total acceptance of adultery in contemporary society? Or is it like noting that it is dark at night, or that the car has replaced the horse-drawn carriage? It seemed to happen so fast, really. One day, adultery was an acknowledged evil, a grave sin against God, outlawed by the Ten Commandments. Then seemingly overnight, it was as ordinary as laughter, or gardening, and anyone who raised an objection to it was a prude, a mental dinosaur, a zealot.

These thoughts are occasioned by a bible for today, People magazine, which devoted a special Valentine’s Day issue to “The Greatest Love Stories of the Century.” Predictably, it was fun to read, offering as it did short biographies of 30 dream couples, adorned with sigh4nducing photographs. There were Bogie and Bacall, Liz and Dick, Gable and Lombard — even Sid and Nancy, of punk-rock notoriety. But as the stories unfolded, an unwitting theme persisted: These unions, many of them, were founded on adultery. They were made possible by the betrayal of some husband or wife. And People scarcely bothered to notice, hardly pausing to acknowledge the injured ones to whom vows had been made. Yet there they were, hovering in the background like ghosts. They were the victims of these “greatest love stories,” and normally it is victims who receive the lion’s share of attention in People. But these discarded spouses were unwelcome guests at this party. They were mentioned briefly, with annoyance, if at all, then set aside, as in life, so that the action could proceed.