The Lost Love Letters of Heloise and Abelard: Perceptions of Dialogue in Twelfth-Century France (The New Middle Ages)

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Wonderful Texts & Translations

Academic detective work & translating at its best!

Add me to this list of people who loved this book!

Brilliant!

Akin to discovering a hitherto unknown play by Shakespeare

The Lost Love Letters of Heloise and Abelard: Perceptions of Dialogue in Twelfth-Century France (The New Middle Ages)
Constant J. Mews
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Letters of Abelard and Heloise (Penguin Classics)

Heloise & Abelard : A New Biography

Abelard and Heloise (Great Medieval Thinkers)

Abelard: A Medieval Life

Listening To Heloise: The Voice of a Twelfth-Century Woman (The New Middle Ages)

ASIN: 0312239416

Book Description

This book examines a medieval text long neglected by most scholars. The Lost Love Letters of Heloise and Abelard looks at the earlier correspondence between these two famous individuals, revealing the emotions and intimate exchanges that occurred between them. The perspectives presented here are very different from the view related by Abelard in his "History of My Calamities," an account which provoked a much more famous exchange of letters between Heloise and Abelard after they had both entered religious life. Offering a full translation of the love letters along with a copy of the actual Latin text, Mews provides an in-depth analysis of the debate concerning the authenticity of the letters and look at the way in which the relationship between Heloise and Abelard has been perceived over the centuries. He also explores the political, literary, and religious contexts in which the two figures conducted their affair and offers new insights into Heloise as an astonishingly gifted writer, whose literary gifts were ultimately frustrated by the course of her relationship with her teacher.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Texts & Translations.......2004-07-24

Mews makes a less than satisfying case for the authorship of the letters: it's not as if the two famous lovers were the only teacher / pupil passion of the Middle Ages, and authenticating this sort of thing is tricky business. Calling it the "lost letters of Heloise and Abelard" is a bit romantic, I think. If you're into historical certainties, this may prove irritating.

Mews is more persuasive when she writes about what the letters show us about medieval love and its dialogics.

But the letters don't have to be those of Heloise and Abelard to be a ripping good read. Especially if you're looking for some practice translating medieval Latin, the book is very satisfying: the Latin is not very difficult, and translations on the facing page make a sure pony (and are lovely in their own right).

Academic detective work & translating at its best!.......2004-07-11

What a treat to read these early letters! Mews compelling argues, based upon impeccable scholarship, that what we have here is a bona fide glimpse into the developing relationship between two of the medieval world's most interesting philosophers. Heloise's letters compel me to reconsider the views expressed in A History of Women Philosophers Volume 2 regarding Heloise's sexual interest in Abelard, while clarifying the fact that she took the doctrine of the morality of intention much more seriously than did Abelard. The letters clearly show that while Abelard taught Ciceronian/Tullian moral philosophy to Heloise, she practiced it while he did not. And for those who have no interest in philosophy?? Read one of the greatest love stories never told, straight from the mouths of the lovers themselves.

Add me to this list of people who loved this book!.......2003-01-18

Seldom do I find a work of historical scholarship that I simply cannot put down -- this is it. Anyone familiar with the Abelard and Heloise story and the very basic outlines of 12th century history ought to enjoy this compelling and intriguing piece.

Brilliant!.......2000-04-20

What a fine piece of work this is from Constant Mews! I was dazzled by his erudition and the almost detective-like skill he used in authenticating this cache of letters as being those of the tragic Heloise and Abelard. Scholars have much to thank Mews and his collaborator, Chiavarolli, for upon the publication of this timely work. Those who believe Heloise to be the more important of the two figures also have much to rejoice about. They have elevated Heloise to the level of other well-known medieval woman such as Joan of Arc, Christine de Pizan, etc. Bravo. A long overdue piece of the Heloise and Abelard puzzle has finally been laid in place.

Akin to discovering a hitherto unknown play by Shakespeare.......1999-12-21

Drawing upon the research presented in Ewald Konsgen's 'Epistolae duorun amantium: Briefe Abaelards und Heloises? (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1974), Mews offers a compelling thesis that letters discovered and transcribed in Clairvaux in the 15th century are the 'lost' love letters of Peter Abelard and Heloise. Mews asserts that the letters in question were written 'by two articulate individuals who lived in the Ile-de-France in first half of the 12th century [who] were fully conversant with the classical authors known at that time', a point made by Konsgen but further developed by Mews. Indeed, it is made clear that not only are the Clairvaux letters the work of two distinctly different authors, but that woman is the man's student, "the only disciple of philosophy among all the women of our age" as he calls her, the man a famous teacher, a master of philosophy and a poet. The author begins with the discovery of the letters in a monastery at Clairvaux and their transcription by the monk Johannes de Vespria. He then follows with a discussion of the 'known' (and still controversial) letters of Abelard and Heloise and how those letters shaped the subsequent perception of their relationship. Mews goes on to compare the vocabulary of the known letters with the Clairvaux letters, arguing that the parallels are so striking that it "stretches plausibility to argue that the letters were written by any one other than Abelard and Heloise." He finishes his analysis by showing the implications of this discovery to the present understanding of the evolution of their relationship. The final chapter is a transcription of the Clairvaux letters in Latin, with a parallel translation in English. Throughout the book, Mews throws light on the broader issues of communication between men and woman in 12th century France. He also places the 'story' of Abelard and Heloise into the broader context of their era, explaining how the political upheavals and cultural changes of the 12th century played a part in their relationship and in their lives in general. Mews' argument is reasoned, well researched, and entirely convincing. As for the letters themselves, erotic and sensual, they offers a tantilizing glimpse into the early relationship of Abelard and Heloise - but there are mysteries here too. What is the cause of the rift that seems to have happened between the writing of letters 57 and 58? What does the woman mean when she writes "If you are well and moving among wordly concerns without trouble, I am carried away by a great exultation of mind"? Is this truly Heloise writing to Abelard about the birth of their child? Both writers fill their letters with imagery about the stars, the sun and moon, and celestial light - is this what prompted Heloise and Abelard to name their child (Peter) Astrolabe? The real importance of these letters may be in their discussion of the true nature of friendship and love, which may shed light on and help us to better understand the 'known' letters of Abelard and Heloise. In the Clairvaux letters, the woman seems determined to define their relationship and convince the man of her true love for him; the man seems more preoccupied with the erotic nature of their friendship. These letters are also important in illustrating what a poetic and original writer Heloise was - an idea often overlooked by those more preoccupied by the romance and tragedy of her story. I look forward to reading more arguments concerning authorship of these lost letters, and I encourage not only scholars, but lay people like myself to read this book.

The Symposium and the Phaedrus: Plato's Erotic Dialogues (S U N Y Series in Ancient Greek Philosophy)

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Some of the best work by histories greatest writer

The Symposium and the Phaedrus: Plato's Erotic Dialogues (S U N Y Series in Ancient Greek Philosophy)
Plato
Manufacturer: State University of New York Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0791416186

Customer Reviews:

Some of the best work by histories greatest writer.......2004-06-13

Yes, Plato could write. He's the best writer ever. Better than Mike Royko, Lester Bangs, Stephen King, Anne Rice, George Will, Homer, Albert Einstein, Stephen J.Gould, Richard Dawkins, William Shakespeare, Ovid, Lao Tzu and Tom Clancey. Aside from a fine pen, this man had a mind beyond belief. He's also much more intelligent than those other authors-only Lao Tzu challenges him (just a little). He worshipped his martyred teacher Socrates, and wrote about him in most of his works.

These works deal with Love, and Plato never just gives you anything. First he has to make you see how little you know about the subject, then he sets you on the right path.

"The Symposium" deals with a party the day after a rather intense drinking party-everyone (almost) is on the verge of a hangover, no one wants to drink to excess, some not at all. They decide to tell stories about Love in mythological style, drinking either wine or water. Socrates goes last, but all the stories are worthwhile-actually there is a mathematical subtext to this that those of you interested in math might enjoy finding out on your own. No doubt there is much here I've never fathomed, and never will. We are left with the impression that the story of Socrates is the most accurate, but the reader (to truly understand) must come up with an explanation of his own, in similar style to the people at the symposium. Plato's books are very intreractive.

Book Description

The concept of altruism, or disinterested concern for another's welfare, has been discussed by everyone from theologians to psychologists to biologists. In this book, evolutionary, neurological, developmental, psychological, social, cultural, and religious aspects of altruistic behavior are examined. It is a collaborative examination of one of humanity's essential and defining characteristics by renowned researchers from various disciplines. Their integrative dialogue illustrates that altruistic behavior is a significant mode of expression that can be studied by various scholarly methods and understood from a variety of perspectives in both the humanities and the sciences. Altruism and Altruistic Love establishes a framework for scholarship on altruism by presenting definitions, a historical overview, a review of contemporary research, and debates in various disciplines, as well as a discussion of directions for future work.

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A balanced debate between proponents and critics of evolutionary accounts of behavior.......2006-06-15

The concept of altruism, or disinterested concern for another's welfare, is a common human characteristic, and has been discussed by everyone from theologians to biologists. This volume brings together renowned researchers from various disciplines to examine the evolutionary, neurological, developmental, psychological, social, cultural, and religious aspects of altruistic behavior.

Altruism is most famously recognized as occurring within a biological family, often called kin-altruism. However in human societies altruism goes well beyond mere familial relations and is "widely lauded and is commonly considered the foundation for a moral life." (pg. 3) Altruism is recognized as affirmation and care for another person for their own benefit, regardless of how their benefit impinges upon one's own success.

But can true altruism be explained under evolutionary theory? E.O. Wilson claims that "Human behavior--like the deep capacities for emotional response which derive and guide it--is the circuitous technique by which human genetic material has been and will be kept intact. Morality has no other demonstrable function." Under this account, real altruism does not exist, for there is always some mechanistically based "selfish" behavior guiding any altruistic act.

For example, Darwinian philosopher Michael Ruse argues that a Darwinian interpretation of social behavior and of the morality that underlies it requires that they be reproductively beneficial. Thus Ruse writes that "all organisms including ourselves are the products of evolution" and "animal behavior must itself be subject to natural selection." (pg. 153) Natural selection often rewards cooperation; however, Ruse maintains that genetically "selfish" behaviors do not necessarily entail consciously selfish behavioral motives. But ultimately, these behaviors must exist due to an evolutionary past where they enabled their underlying genes to reproduce. Under evolution, "human moral behavior ... has to be such that it is going to serve the individual." (pg. 158). Under Ruse's view, "Darwinian evolutionary biology is nonprogressive, pointing away from the possibility of our knowing objective morality" and thus "Darwinian evolutionary theory leads one to a moral skepticism, a kind of moral nonrealism." (pg. 165)

Discovery Institute fellow Jeffrey P. Schloss argues that there are some behaviors that remain unaccounted for under Neo-Darwinism:
"Human beings often manifest radically sacrificial, consequentially altruistic behavior that reduces reproductive success without compensatory reciprocation or kinship benefit. Behaviors such as voluntary poverty, celibate orders of benevolence, Holocaust rescuers, and religious asceticism or martyrdom are examples in humans that have provoked reconceptualism or substantial refinement of evolutionary approaches to human altruism. And even less extreme behaviors, such as adoption of non-kin, anonymous philanthropy, and costly investment in reproductively inert endeavors such as art or funeral caches have stimulated the extension or nuancing of initial sociobiological accounts." (p. 221; internal citations omitted)

According to Schloss, highly sacrificial acts or reproductive sacrifice are unaccounted if "the calculus of biological benefit ... remains tied to fitness." (pg. 235) Schloss concludes that "in the last analysis, either we deny the existence or importance of the human propensity toward counterreproductive behavior or we invoke accounts of its origin that posit some measure of uncoupling from genomic evolution and concomitant transcendence of biological constraints." (pg. 235-236)

This is a lively debate that is unlikely to be settled soon. However, Altruism and Altruistic Love provides a wide range of views from leading thinkers in this diverse field.

Richly Diverse Essays on Other-Regard.......2004-09-01

This volume includes the work of some of the leading figures in the science and religion love dialogue. The essays are the product of a conference entitled "Empathy, Altruism and Agape: Perspectives on Love in Science and Religion." Major funding for this 1999 conference came from the John Templeton Foundation and John Fetzer Institute.

"It is in the context of the dialogue between science, philosophy and spiritual traditions that this book addresses various views of the roles of altruism and egoism," writes editor Stephen G. Post (5). " Our intent in this book is to grapple honestly with current scientific questions about the existence of genuine altruism and to explore the nature of human other regarding motives and acts" (6). Among the tasks that the book addresses is the effort to understand better the emergence of altruism and empathy and how these contribute a greater capacity to love.

The book is organized into five sections. In the first, four essayists wrestle with the definitions of altruism, agape, and love. Elliott Sober defines altruistic behavior in his essay as enhancing the fitness of someone else at some cost in fitness to the donor. Sober's own position on the emergence of altruism and egoism is a pluralistic one in the sense that Sober recognizes that humans and other organisms have both egoistic and altruistic inclinations. Edith Wyschogrod writes as a phenomenologist who claims that moral experience begins with a claim upon the self to engage in other regarding acts. In this sense ethical meaning arises in the encounter with another human. Jerome Kagan, a psychologist, asserts that the human being is utterly unique emergent from evolution with a moral sense. It was with the evolution of the human brain that humans could evaluate vice and virtue. Stephen G. Post examines the tradition of agape in light of altruism and altruistic love. According to Post, altruistic love does not eclipse the care of the self, but it effectively affirms participation in the being of the other. "Altruism is other regarding, either with regard to actions or motivations; altruistic adds the features of deep affirmative affect to altruism; agape is altruistic love universalized all humanity as informed by theistic commitments" (56). Despite universalization, however, "agape forces us to honestly the ordering of our love and care with respect to both the nearest and the very neediest on the face of the earth" (59).

The second section of the book takes up the social scientific research and addresses this in this relationship to altruism and love. This section notes that observing or measuring motivations with regard to love is very difficult. Lynn Underwood addresses data from selected studies and attempts to map a conceptuality of love from the social science perspective. She wrestles with basic notions of love, self, context and freedom among other things. In his essay, C. Daniel Batson challenges the common assumption that all behavior is selfish. Batson's "empathy/altruism" hypothesis is that other-oriented emotional response evokes a motivational state with the ultimate goal of increasing the other's welfare. Batson looks at more than 25 experiments to distinguish between self-directed motives and truly altruistic motives. Batson says that the tentative conclusion from his studies is that feeling empathy for a person in need does evoke altruistic motivation to help that person.

Kristen Renwick Monroe defines altruism in terms of actions rather than motives. Monroe suggests that perception of the self in relation to others strongly affects decisions to be altruistic. Finally, Samuel Oliner analyzes altruistic behaviors of rescuers of Jews during WWII and volunteers working with the dying. He characterizes altruism as actions that are (1) directed toward another, (2) involve a high risk or sacrifice to the actor, (3) are accompanied by no external reward and (4) voluntary. After examining data of the two groups, both the rescuers and those involved in hospice, Oliner concludes that there is no single motivating explanation that triggers people to behave compassionately for the welfare of others. However, Gentile rescuers who risked their lives for Jews had learned compassion, caring norms, and responsibility for diverse others from parents and others in authority. Hospice volunteers exhibited a higher degree of intrinsic religiosity, despite a lower incidence of affiliation with mainstream religious traditions. Oliner suggests that social institutions, whether they be religious, educational or in the workplace, need to reconsider their roles and responsibilities so that they might foster kind and loving acts.

The third section of the book takes up the debates within evolutionary biology and psychology with regard to egoism and altruism. Michael Ruse outlines the genecentric sociobiological perspective on altruism. He asserts that a Darwinian interpretation of social behavior and morality requires that organisms be reproductively beneficial. Stephen Pope addresses the varieties of love from the perspective of theology and biology and speaks of an ordering of loves. Pope suggests that appropriate altruism comes out of who we are rather than being an imposition that occurs contrary to our deepest native needs and desires. "I believe the goods valued by both the moral egoists and the moral altruists can be assimilated and properly coordinated within a balanced interpretation of the ordering of love" (170). David Sloan Wilson and Elliott Sober consider the history of altruism and evolutionary biology. They note the fluctuation that the history of altruism has had but hope that altruism will find a permanent place in dominant evolutionary thinking.
Melvin Konner reviews data from evolutionary biology, primatology, and anthropology. He describes obstacles to altruism and notes that evolutionary theory makes most disinterested forms of altruism problematic. In particular, aggression in both non-humans and humans makes altruism problematic. Jeffrey P. Schloss surveys evolutionary approaches to human cooperative behavior and notes that the good news is that current theory is conciliate in its affirmation of that natural basis for genuine other regard within kinship or social groups. The challenging news, however, is that the counterpart of such affiliation is exclusion towards those outside those groups. There is no biological theory proposed for how out-group sacrifice and "love your enemy" altruism can come about. "If the struggle for existence is the engine of natural selection and survival of the fittest is the direction of travel, then those organisms that sacrifice their biological well-being for the good of another will be kicked off the train" (214).

The fourth section of the book considers the emotional aspects of altruistic love by focusing on the role of empathy in both humans and non-humans. This section discusses the evolutionary advantages of particular anatomical, physiological, and psychological developments. Essayists considers how developments in these fields provide a basis for varied forms of altruism. Neuroscientist Thomas Insel discusses his work in neurochemistry and neurophysiology in rodent species. His findings point to the possibility that in human beings subtle genetic variations may underlie individual differences in the capacity and inclination for attachment and other forms of altruistic behavior. Neurologist Antonio Damasio discusses evolutionary origins of emotions and feelings, their fundamental adaptive value, and the extension in the empathetic processes that allow human sociality and altruism. He notes that the emotions use the body as their theater. The foundational processes of emotion and feeling, coupled with an individual's ability to know of the existence of such emotions and feelings in the self and others, are the basis of what is best in humans, including conscience, ethical rules and the codification of law. Hanna Damasio discusses case reports of patients with damage to the portion of the brain that appear critical in the foundational processes of altruism. She concludes that there is a system in certain sections of the prefrontal cortex that is critical for the learning and maintenance of certain aspects of social behavior that pertain to interpersonal relationships. Damage to this results in defective decisions regarding altruism. Her work underscores the claim that the capacity for altruism has a physical foundation.

Primatologists Stephanie Preston and Frans deWaal consider the behaviors and linkage between humans and non-humans. They report on what appears to be a degree of cognitive empathy among the great apes. Empathy is a general class of behavior that exists across species to different degrees of complexity. The data from primatology warns against drawing demarcation lines between humans and other animals with respect to emotional aspects of empathy. The basis in emotional and social connectedness is crucial to an understanding of empathy and altruism because is creates the bridge between ultimate and proximate explanations and between philogeny and ontogeny. William B. Hurlbut concludes the section with his own chapter on empathy, evolution , and altruism. He claims that the beginning of sociality are seen even in the most primordial configurations of living matter. "Among the earliest lifeforms, organisms drew information from one another to pattern and coordinate such basic biological functions as reproduction and nourishment" (310). Empathy is a form of intersubjectivity in which the observer actually participates in the feelings of the other. Hurlbut notes that the idea the human life has a moral dimension and this is in some sense a product of the universe is at odds with prevailing scientific culture. To assert an objective ethical order within nature would be to affirm teleology, the reality of human freedom, and the unique status of our species. Hurlbut argues that "for all the controversy concerning the possibility of genuine generosity and altruistic love, at the levels of life, amid the sounds of the street and the strivings and struggles, there is everywhere, in small or greater degrees, the evidence of love. Many people, perhaps most, in some way give the effort and energy of their lives from a belief in love and the desire to build a better world. If there is a natural sentiment and hope, it is that love is real" (325).

The fifth section looks at altruistic love from a religious context. Don S. Browning suggests that evolutionary biology is moving religious thinkers toward a synthesis model in which love is understood as having both altruistic and egoistic aspects. Browning argues that the moral theologian "would finally ground the sacrificial element in love on the Christian's belief in the infinite value of the other and on the sense that some acts of self sacrifice are both willed and empowered by God, even though self-sacrifice, as such, might not be seen as the central goal of Christian love" (344). Gregory L. Fricchione interprets human religious expression as an outgrowth of evolutionary developments centered around separation and attachment theory. Fricchione claims "separation/attachment is a common referent conferring extensional identity across different conceptual levels of complexity" (354). Agape is a healthy synthesis of self-affirming/self-realizing love with self-giving love. Reuben L. F. Habito concludes the volume by speaking of compassion and love from a Buddhist perspective. The compassionate life from a Buddhist perspective is an outflow of the wisdom that truly sees the way things are. The view of reality that overcomes the separation of self and other. Habito suggests that Buddhism offers a valuable contribution in forging a common future as the earth community.

Thomas Jay Oord

Socrates' Education to Virtue: Learning the Love of the Noble

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One of the best contemporary books on philosophy.

Socrates' Education to Virtue: Learning the Love of the Noble
Mark J. Lutz
Manufacturer: State University of New York Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

Socrates' Education to Virtue argues that Plato's account of Socrates offers the fullest account of virtue and of the place of virtue in political life. Focusing on Platonic dramas such as the Symposium, Alcibiades Major, and the Republic, Lutz recounts how Socrates came to understand the longing for the "noble" and to believe that this longing is best satisfied by the search for knowledge or wisdom. By scrutinizing how Socrates' conversations allow him to acquire, extend, and confirm his knowledge of eros and of noble virtue, the book recovers a powerful, concrete, and nondogmatic Platonic reply to ancient critics of philosophy such as Aristophanes and suggests a further Platonic response to modern critics of classical rationalism such as Nietzsche and Rorty. Moreover, it shows how Socrates' education to virtue teaches him that the philosopher must always respect and examine alternative accounts of nobility and excellence. The book argues that the recovery of Socratic education can strengthen liberal democracy not only by broadening and invigorating political, moral, and religious debate but also by serving as an example of virtue in an open society.

Customer Reviews:

One of the best contemporary books on philosophy........1999-03-21

This book succeeds in bringing out the very core of Socrates' philosophy and makes a powerful case for its importance for our time. When I first picked up the book, I thought that it was overly ambitious. But I am very impressed by the subtelty and rigor with which it shows how Plato answers Nietzsche and Rorty. Anyone who wishes to know what the philosophes actually know should read it. It may be the best book about Socrates or Plato in the last twenty five years.

The Dialogues of Plato, Volume 2: The Symposium (The Dialogues of Plato)

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Everymans banquet
The place to start

The Dialogues of Plato, Volume 2: The Symposium (The Dialogues of Plato)
Plato
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0300056990

Customer Reviews:

Everymans banquet.......2006-12-06

Plato's Symposium is, at least in my opinion, one of the best works of the Western philosophical school.
Like most of his dialogs, it reads like a novel but packs more challeges than a small encyclopedia;unless you have a vey advanced education in philo ( and perhaps even then) you will benefit from the comentaries of an expert, which is exactly what you get here.
I found the exerxise more enjoyable if you read the original for a bit and then go and review what prof R. E. Allen has to say, then reflect upon it a bit and then carry on to the end of the next section and start all over agin.
After you finish you will want to read the original again, non stop, and have a great experience all over again.
This is a great translation with inteligent comentaries, a most for anyone interested in Plato and the Socratic lore.

The place to start.......2000-03-22

This was the first book I read on Symposium, and I was glad. Later when I wanted to know more I moved on to Rosen and Dover, but if all you want to do is read the Symposium with a commentary, this is the place to start. Allen gives you just enough detail to be enlightening, without swamping you. If you want to be swamped, read Rosen (not that being swamped is necessarily a bad thing). If you want to be entertained, read Allen.

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Moving portrait of psychoanalysis
Inspiring and thought-provoking memoir
Some things are better left in one's own closets
Mostly compelling memoir of therapy

A Dialogue on Love
Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick
Manufacturer: Beacon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0807029238

Amazon.com

Queer studies owes its status as an academic discipline in large part to the literary criticism and theoretical writings of Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick (including, most famously, Epistemology of the Closet). In A Dialogue on Love, she applies her skills to the analysis of a far more personal text: herself. This stunningly intimate memoir is an exploration of Sedgwick's journey through therapy for depression, beginning 18 months after a diagnosis of breast cancer. She places her therapist's notes in dialogue with her own words, which take the 17-century Japanese form of haibun, traditionally reserved for travel narratives; a description of another work structured in this way applies equally to her own writing: "Spangled with haiku is more what it feels like, [the] very sentences fraying

into implosions
of starlike density or
radiance, then out

into a prose that's never quite not the poetry." A Dialogue on Love is an engaging, brilliantly constructed portrait of the unique intimacy between therapist and patient, exploring the intricate relationships between childhood precocity, positioning within the family, fantasy, sex, the body, depression, and attitudes toward death. Through these issues, Sedgwick comes to a highly personal, yet expansive, definition of sexuality inclusive of fantasy, autoeroticism, and cultural intimacy. --Julia Steinmetz

Book Description

When she begins therapy for depression after breast cancer treatment, the author brings with her an extraordinarily open and critical mind, but also shyness about revealing herself. Resisting easy responses to issues of dependence, desire, and mortality, she warily commits to a male therapist who shares little of her cultural and intellectual world. Although not without pain, their improvised relationship is as unexpectedly pleasurable as her writing is unconventional: Sedgwick combines dialogue, verse, and even her therapist's notes to explore her interior life--and delivers and delicate and tender account of how we arrive at love.

Customer Reviews:

Moving portrait of psychoanalysis.......2000-02-15

Sedgwick, the doyenne of the queer studies movement in literary studies, avoids the sentimentality and sensational voyeurism that mar many recountings of psychotherapy. Her intimate narrative-written during therapy after cancer treatment-provides a moving and honest account of what it means to discuss with a stranger one's deepest anxieties about illness, mortality, dependence, and vulnerability. Sedgwick's aim is to capture the transformative possibilities of seemingly banal interactions with a paid companion.

The book uses the literary forms of Platonic dialogue and haibun, a 17th-Century Japanese prose-and-haiku travel narrative. The interlocutors are Sedgwick and her therapist; the dialogue consists of Sedgwick's retelling of therapeutic interactions, excerpts from her therapist's notes, and numerous mediating haiku glosses. Although some poems fall flat, Sedgwick's use of haibun produces an intricate map of the frustrations, ambivalences, and paradoxes that marked her therapeutic journey. These nuances make compelling her portrait of the life-changing potential of good therapy.

Although they dominate the narrative, the specific issues of Sedgwick's therapy-her attraction to death, masochistic fantasies of coerced consent, and uncertain sexual identity-stand only as particular examples for her universalist vision of the good in therapy. Sedgwick avoids the shallowness of both abstract clinical case studies and of uncritical gushes from the contemporary 'culture of therapy'. What results is appealing indeed: a deeply personal account of psychoanalysis that conveys genuine emotional depth.

Inspiring and thought-provoking memoir.......1999-11-23

This may be one of those rare occasions where the publisher's blurbs are actually accurate, reflecting (as do the author's comments above) the simple but profound pleasures to be found here. Sedgwick is famous (or infamous, depending on your politics) for her ground-breaking work in literary and cultural theory, especially her role in forging the vital and influential field of Queer Studies. The merits of this book, however, should transcend the expectations of anyone who comes to it looking for "more of the same". Sedgwick makes no claims about her "specialness" or the inherent titillation of her personal fantasy life in the book. What she does is share with her reader the insights into life, death, and the day-to-day struggles and pleasures of a person who is at the same time very special and quite ordinary, realized through a marvelously rich collaborative dialogue with a therapist who comes to learn as much about himself as about his patient in this process. For anyone who thinks or feels deeply, this should be a moving and valuable reading experience--one which we can be grateful did not stay in the author's closet.

Some things are better left in one's own closets.......1999-07-17

Let me begin by expressing sorrow for Sedgwick's illness and admiration for her contributions to queer theory (which are real). Having said that, I nonetheless thought this book somewhat of an embarrassment and surely it only has been published because of Sedgwick's currency as a hot scholar. Her insights are no more remarkable than those gained by just about everyone I know who goes into therapy and she exhibits a predictable grandiosity and delusion when she muses on the fact that she must be brighter than her therapist and that she must be his most interesting patient: who among has not had that--it's called transference! Similarly, I am less put off by her sexual fantasies than bored by them. Hers seems to me to have been a very ordinary and predictable therapy--nothing wrong with that, obviously--it just doesn't warrant this kind of narcissistic public attention. And it does make me wonder what real insights Sedgwick does have about lived human existence, outside her well-maintained ivory tower. She speaks of those she "loves"--but her account is so self-centered that it seems hard to think of her actually experiencing "love" as most of us mere mortals (who have not deconstructed it) have. Perhaps most revealing is her obssession with masturbation--that and thinking about sex/sexuality seem to have been substitutes for much real human sexual interaction. Is this a new genre--the sessions and fantasies of great academics? At least Diane Middlebrook's analytically-based biography of Anne Sexton had some real sense of that patient's passions--for life, love, and, inevitably, death.

Mostly compelling memoir of therapy.......1999-07-03

The author is a leading literary critic who is particularly known for her work on gay themes in literature. This book is a compelling account of the author's therapy sessions in the wake of her treatment for breast cancer. It is genuinely fascinating to see this powerful intelligence apply her critical faculties to her own mental processes.

A couple complaints: The author's "trick" of lapsing into haiku every page or so is interesting at first, but becomes tiresome by about 200 pages in. Also, the author gives a fair amount of attention to discussion of her sexual fantasies -- particularly in the latter part of the book -- which I didn't find especially interesting. (Call me jaded, I suppose.)

If you enjoyed this book, you might also like Michael Berube's book "Life As We Know It." Berube is also a literary critic; his book -- which is more accessible than this one -- reflects on life with a child with Down Syndrome from the vantage point of literary theory and philosophy.

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On Love: In the Muslim Tradition (Abrahamic Dialogues)
Rusmir Mahmutcehajic
Manufacturer: Fordham University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Religious | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0823227510
Release Date: 2007-04-15

Book Description

This rare and important contribution to the field of Islamic studies, philosophy, and comparative religion achieves a twofold objective. First, it draws from a broad and authoritative well of sources, especially in the domain of Sufism, or Islamic mysticism. The scholarship is impeccable. Second, it is an in-depth meditation on the relationship between love and knowledge, multiplicity and unity, the example of the Prophet Muhammed viewed as Universal Man, spiritual union, heart and intellect, and other related themes--conveyed in fresh, contemporary language.

The book is as much a work of Sufism as it is a book about Sufism. Many of these themes have a universal appeal for students of mysticism; consequently, there are distinct resonances with other traditions, especially within certain schools of Christian mysticism dominated by the language of love.

In our day, when the divisions between many Muslims and many Christians have broadened into chasms of suspicion and fear, books such as this one are especially important for the help they can offer in bridging these rifts. The capacity of scholars to understand these two religions, which stem from the same Abrahamic source, is of the utmost significance, and the best approach to better understanding may be through the mystical traditions, which tend to reflect more tolerance and to recognize a potential for seeing unity in a multiplicity of perspectives. This work conveys the beauty at the heart of the Islamic tradition in a language devoid of technical terminology.

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It is not that good
Tops-
FINALLY!
The Penis Dialogues, Handle with Care
Get A Grip and Hold On

The Penis Dialogues: Handle With Care
Gabriel Constans
Manufacturer: Alan Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Sex | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0944031943

Customer Reviews:

It is not that good.......2006-01-16

Yes, this book may be honest about true male feelings when it comes to spot our weaknesses and fantasies. But, it is a recollection of thoughts that men can easily find in the private and rather sexist conversations we have when we are with buddies. It doesn't really bring to out attention anything we don't know, except for the brave act of some guys of opening themselves and talk about it in a more open way.

Tops-.......2005-07-21

Once I started reading, I didn't want to stop. It was refreshing to read about the male perspective on such an intimate topic. The book is both informative and entertaining. I read a few excerpts of the book to some friends and they wanted a copy too. (Well, at first they just wanted me to keep reading.) Constans' style of writing makes it easy to turn the pages.

FINALLY!.......2004-02-04

Finally, an honest and informative book from the male point of view written with both humor and candor! Real people relating real experiences, questions and concerns that touch people in their day-to-day lives. I found out things I may never had known to ask!

The Penis Dialogues, Handle with Care.......2003-12-05

My husband just ordered three more of this book for presents for Christmas.We both have read it and give it a big 'thumbs up'. This is a well researched, well planned, easy reading book. There is much of interest, it elicits chuckles here and there, and it is serious as well in its treatment of the subject.Definitely of interest to both men and women and to I would think all ages other than young children.

Get A Grip and Hold On.......2003-11-22

This is not a book for someone who is affraid to talk about sex or question what it means to "be a man". It wasn't what I expected when I saw the cover. Yes, it's funny, but it also talks about things I never talk about with other guys. It was nice to see that I'm not alone with some of my experiences, thoughts and feelings. And it was good to read about it in down to earth terms with guys talking like normal guys. This book is real honest.

Dialogue on the Infinity of Love (The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe)

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Dialogue on the Infinity of Love (The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe)
Tullia d'Aragona
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0226136396

Book Description

Celebrated as a courtesan and poet, and as a woman of great intelligence and wit, Tullia d'Aragona (1510–56) entered the debate about the morality of love that engaged the best and most famous male intellects of sixteenth-century Italy. First published in Venice in 1547, but never before published in English, Dialogue on the Infinity of Love casts a woman rather than a man as the main disputant on the ethics of love.

Sexually liberated and financially independent, Tullia d'Aragona dared to argue that the only moral form of love between woman and man is one that recognizes both the sensual and the spiritual needs of humankind. Declaring sexual drives to be fundamentally irrepressible and blameless, she challenged the Platonic and religious orthodoxy of her time, which condemned all forms of sensual experience, denied the rationality of women, and relegated femininity to the realm of physicality and sin. Human beings, she argued, consist of body and soul, sense and intellect, and honorable love must be based on this real nature.

By exposing the intrinsic misogyny of prevailing theories of love, Aragona vindicates all women, proposing a morality of love that restores them to intellectual and sexual parity with men. Through Aragona's sharp reasoning, her sense of irony and humor, and her renowned linguistic skill, a rare picture unfolds of an intelligent and thoughtful woman fighting sixteenth-century stereotypes of women and sexuality.

Relationships As a Bridge to Divine Love : A Dialogue Between Barbara De Angelis, Ph.D., and Deepak Chopra, M.D. (Dialogues at the Chopra Center for Well Being) [ABRIDGED]

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Relationships As a Bridge to Divine Love : A Dialogue Between Barbara De Angelis, Ph.D., and Deepak Chopra, M.D. (Dialogues at the Chopra Center for Well Being) [ABRIDGED]
Barbara De Angelis , and Deepak Chopra
Manufacturer: Hay House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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Accessories:

ASIN: 1561707422

Book Description

In this inspirational audio program, Barbara shares her relationship secrets and teaches us to meet each person with love and each experience with an open heart, called a wounded heart, by the Sufi Teachers.

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