Introduction

Lebrecht Music & Arts/Corbis

When married politicians are sexting and some college kids are less interested in courtship, it’s easy to believe that chivalry is dead. Even pop star Miley Cyrus has proclaimed it so.

A 2010 Harris poll found that 80 percent of Americans think that women are treated with less chivalry today than in the past. Is it time for the once-romantic and noble concept to peter out, or should it evolve to be more inclusive for our liberated and cynical age?