The Art of Courtly Love

Book Description

After becoming popularized by the troubadours of southern France in the twelfth century, the social system of 'courtly love' soon spread. Evidence of the influence of courtly love in the culture and literature of most of western Europe spans centuries.

This unabridged edition of The Art of Courtly Love codifies life at Queen Eleanor's court at Poitiers between 1170 and 1174 into 'one of those capital works which reflect the thought of a great epoch, which explain the secret of a civilization.' This translation of a work that may be viewed as didactic, mocking, or merely descriptive, preserves the attitudes and practices that were the foundation of a long and significant tradition in English literature.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting look at medieval manners and customs.......2003-01-23

This is a must read if you are at all interested in medieval life. Aside from being the premiere treatise on "courtly love," there are interesting historical issues raised by this book.

For example, in the section "What persons are fit for love," Capellanus says that "Age is a bar, because after the sixtieth year in a man and the fiftieth in a woman...passion cannot develop into love..." The conventional wisdom holds that most people did not live much past 40 in those days. Evidently Capellanus ran across a few people in their 50s and 60s, in addition to his encounters with nuns. (You will have to read the book to find out more)

How Capellanus reshaped romance..........2002-08-22

Andreas Capellanus, chaplain at the court of Countess Marie de Champagne, daughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine, wrote this treatise on courtly love in the 12th century--ostensibly to educate a friend--and thus set a new standard for lovers. Capellanus' work may have been intended as a satirical reworking of Ovid's Ars Amatoria, or it might have been influenced by the Arabic views of love in The Dove's Neck-Ring by Ibn Hazm a Mozarabic writer of the 11th century. Whatever his intent, his work, The Art of Courtly Love, influenced the aristocracy's ideas of social relationships, and the portrayal of male-female roles in romantic literature, well into the Renaissance. In a series of conversational examples between men and women of various classes together with a list of rules of love, Capellanus draws distinctions between the relationship of marriage and the relations between true lovers. Within the context of courtly love the true lover is required to pay homage to and do the bidding of his ladylove above all else. True love according to Capellanus does not exist between husband and wife, but is a state sought by all outside of the marriage bed. He states, attributing the sentiment to "M., Countess of Champagne", that "Love cannot acknowledge any rights of his between husband and wife". This attitude is understandable in a society where marriages were contracted for position and fortune.

In one of the sets of rules for lovers set forth by Capellanus he states that "No one should be deprived of love without the very best of reasons". This would justify romantic relationships of which women were otherwise deprived. Before modern times, love was rarely a factor in choosing a spouse, and yet it is perhaps the strongest force that drives mankind. Capellanus both acknowledges and rationalizes the power love holds over men and women alike. The path to true love is never easy, and the rules of courtly love would have it that where there is love there, too, is suffering. It is by his great distress that the beloved can see how greatly the lover loves. Although love that suffers chastely and from afar is held in esteem, Capellanus also says that kisses and embraces are "indications that love is to follow" and should not be overdone if the lover is not sincere. This seems to acknowledge the human need for sexual action to follow seduction. Appropriate action with gifts and flattery is described by Capellanus in his dialogs for seducing the beloved. Care must be taken in the choice of gifts, since by the rules of courtly love exchange of valuable objects debases the relationship and lovers may only accept those "little gifts" "useful for the care of the person" or "pleasing to look at" as long as there is no "avarice" involved. This rule led to the carrying by knights of tokens or "favors"--gifts of their ladies--in tournaments throughout the Middle Ages. Seduction has four steps according to Capellanus: first should come the offer of service (or if by a lady the giving of hope to the suitor), followed by the granting of kisses and the embrace--in which a couple may even lie down together nude, having no actual sexual congress, with no blame attached. If the final fourth step is taken, yielding to sexual relations, the lover is committed and can not withdraw from the relationship with honor for any less reason than a seriously dishonorable action on the part of his or her partner. These elements of courtly love appear again and again in literature of the Middle Ages from Chaucer's "Knight's Tale" to Malory's Morte D'Arthur.

Perhaps the most interesting influence in Capellanus' life is that of Eleanor of Aquitaine, queen of England and wife to King Henry II. Eleanor was already instrumental in the production of early courtly romances, especially the Arthurian tales. Wace dedicated his "Brut" to her, Thomas of Britian wrote his "Tristram" at her instigation and Chretien de Troyes wrote his Lancelot romances from material given him by her daughter Marie. Eleanor's life reads much like one of these romances. Duchess of Aquitaine, she married Louis, the king of France, at a young age, and produced two daughters Marie and Alix. She met Henry II, six years her junior, before he became king of England and then divorced Louis, on a consanguinarity technicality, to marry him. The rumor was that she and Henry, like Lancelot and Guinevere, met secretly while she was still legally married to Louis. When Henry later tired of her she again took up regency of the Aquitaine for her son Richard, and with her daughter Marie held liberal and literary courts where troubadours sang and courtiers waited upon ladies. Together Eleanor and Marie set a standard of chivalrous manners that changed the behavior of all knighthood. As a pastime these highborn ladies held "courts of love" wherein they tested the behavior of lovers, by the standards set in Capellanus' treatise, vindicating those they found to be "true lovers" and pronouncing penances for those found lacking. If not for the influence of the strong minded Marie de Champagne and the formidable Eleanor--women who wanted more of love than the usual marriage of convenience--Capellanus might have been relegated to the obscurity of the Church's proscribed text list, and our standards of romance might be very different today.

Its not about love, its about behavior.......2002-04-12

I bought this as research material for codes of conduct. The feel of the book shows the writers background in the clergy, the book focuses more on the traditional courting behavior than on love itself. Its wonderful as a complex example of a code of conduct, but sheds little light in the direction of true relationships. Very interesting as a period piece, its seems to be more reflective of the romantic visions of the middle ages than the reality.

Excellent background for Middle Ages history buffs........2001-07-15

A series of dialogues between men and women of various social ranks concerning why love should be accepted or rejected, written during the Middle Ages. There are other bits, such as Courts of Love and long letters written to this or that person, but that's mostly it.

I found it an interesting read. You hear a lot about "courtly love", but nobody really talks about the underpinnings of the tradition. Since the writer was a monk, one truly wonders just what in the world he knows about love, but upon reading the dialogues, one becomes convinced that this isn't about love. It's about social behavior within a certain context, within a very narrow time frame within a very narrow part of Europe, one indulged in by a very narrow group of people. And yet when we think of the Middle Ages, we think of courtly love. There's a reason for that, and reading this book will help the introspective reader see why.

The 5 stars were for how it stands as a primary source documenting the period. It is excellent in that regard. It does drag sometimes, and many of the dialogues are, indeed, repetitive-sounding. But that's how medieval documents WERE. They wanted to be sure the point got across, I think. I'm also half-convinced that the writer wasn't being entirely serious in some places. Again, he was a monk, and it's possible it was just an exercise in logic, as the forward to this book explains in good detail.

I'm not sure I'd want to read this if I were just a casual reader. It won't give many hints about how to romance someone in OUR time period -- nowadays we like passion, not logic, to be the impetus for beginning a love affair. But it will give the history student something to chew on and I think it's an essential piece of understanding one of the weirder aspects of the Middle Ages.

Revealing book from 11th Century on Attaining Love.......1998-02-07

This is the sort of book you look for, not a scholarly book compiled from various sources and presented for a modern reader, but a treatise written at the time that Courtly Love was at its height in France. This book consists of three sections. The first has dialogues between men and women of different classes, which are of a man trying to reason with a woman for her love. In the book there are two nice stories, but the third section was the most suprprising. The first two sections summarize the rules of love to a young man the author knows named Walter, but in the third he gives his own opinion about pursuing love and women to the boy that gave what seemed like a light work the ending of a heavy and controversial commentary. I liked it, and you will especially as preparation to reading books of the era such as King Arthur. I gave the book a rating of 8 only because the dialogues all seemed to be similar, but on the whole its a great book.

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Enlightened
Roman Sexuality as Seen through Its Art.
fine assessments

Roman Sex: 100 B.C. to A.D. 250
John Clarke
Manufacturer: Harry N. Abrams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Looking at Lovemaking: Constructions of Sexuality in Roman Art, 100 B.C. - A.D. 250
Eroticism in Pompeii
Sexuality in Greek and Roman Culture (Ancient Cultures)
Sacred Sexuality in Ancient Egypt: The Erotic Secrets of the Forbidden Papyri
Art in the Lives of Ordinary Romans: Visual Representation and Non-Elite Viewers in Italy, 100 B.C.-A.D. 315 (Joan Palevsky Book in Classical Literature)

ASIN: 0810942631

Book Description

Picture a world where good sex is a blessing of the gods, not a cause for guilt, and where acts often considered immoral, even illegal, by today's standards are instead celebrated. Such a world is no futurist's fantasy, but rather the reality of ancient Rome, 100 B.C. to A.D. 250.

In Roman Sex, a lavishly illustrated, contextual study of the erotic art of that era, historian John R. Clarke exposes previously hidden paintings, sculptures, and ceramics featuring such controversial subject matter as group sex, lesbianism, and the phallus as talisman. He then uses these works to explain ancient Roman attitudes toward a range of societal issues. The beautifully reproduced art, all in color, hails from the entire Roman empire, including what is now Germany and France.

Fresh, accessible, and seriously fun, Roman Sex offers copious information about a culture that, though very different, was an important precursor of our own.

Customer Reviews:

Enlightened.......2007-09-07

What a great book. Things we should all know about the past, and not hide. I'm not in agreement with the slaves, but otherwise I think I could live in the Roman culture. What a pity we have been led to believe that sex is ... a sin,ugly, etc - Resist the evil forces that try to lead us, and try to conform us! We should be free ....

Roman Sexuality as Seen through Its Art. .......2006-10-08

"Roman Sex" is a study and showcase of ancient Roman sexual practice as it was expressed in art 100 BC-250 AD. Issues related to sex, such as birth control, birth rates, or courting rituals are beyond the scope of this book. References to sex are plentiful in Roman literature, which was invariably written by elite males. Erotic art, on the other hand, adorned the homes and buildings of a broader swath of Roman society and therefore represented the attitudes of middle and working class Romans as well.

There are about 100 beautifully reproduced photographs of erotic paintings, mosaics, sculpture, and ceramics in "Roman Sex", primarily from Rome, Pompeii, and Herculaneum. But this isn't just a "coffee table" production. Historian and author John Clarke takes care to place the art within its original context, most often in people's homes, and in so doing asks us to put aside the modern ideas of "pornography" and "hetero-" or "homosexuality" that are barriers to viewing sex as the Romans did. Sex in its many forms was a gift from the gods. And erotic art was part of the daily lives of many Romans.

"Roman Sex" explores erotic art in the home, the sexual place of women, art in brothels and baths, the phallus as good luck talisman, and erotic art from Roman France. There is some exquisite art work on display in this book, as well as some paintings that are difficult to make out. The gestures and purposes of some pieces remain mysterious, and the rigid sexual hierarchy of Rome's elite makes for some amusing scenes. But we have the benefit of Clarke's scholarship in deciphering what it all meant to the Romans. "Roman Sex" provides a window on the erotic lives and values of Romans through their beautiful art.

fine assessments.......2003-05-23

The greatest injustice a potential reader of this book could commit would be to see it as merely a handsomely illustrated presentation volume. As John R. Clarke writes in the introduction to this work, it presents a more adequate synthesis and overview of the findings and researches he has pursued on Roman sexuality over the last two decades or so. The essay, a series of discrete chapters, reveals the finest descriptions of Roman sexuality informed by the analysis of ceramic, fresco, and engraved art.

Most clever about Clarke's approach, similar in this respect to his earlier, more site-specific work, is the emphasis put on the interpretation of the artworks by recreating what Roman viewers would look for and find. Roman taboo and Roman prescriptions for the realm of sex differ profoundly from ours and Clarke explicitly draws the distinctions. He explains the narratives on the Roman walls with convincing acuity.

Images from Pompeii figure prominently here. Still, the author has also sought out and discusses more recent findings from Roman France as well as special items that seem finally ready to be shared by their keepers in private collections and museum holding rooms in Switzerland.

Clarke imaginatively and convincingly tries to set the images and objects of art into their original contexts. For example, the images of the Suburban Baths at Pompeii according to the author depict positions and situations that would induce laughter from Roman bathers, male and female alike, thus warding off the evil eye. I am not convinced that a frequent bather would continue to find the same fresco images comical and therefore a protection, but Clarke's understanding of Roman sexuality is stunning and gracefully communicated.

Book Description

• The first book to fully explore the sexual philosophy and practices of the ancient Egyptians

• Lavishly illustrated with erotic scenes from papyri that have long been hidden from the public

• Clarifies the connection of sacred sexuality to Egyptian cosmic symbolism

Until recently the forbidden papyri, whose explicit illustrations of Egyptian sexual practices were judged too shocking, were off limits to all but a few scholars. In this book, the first to fully explore Egyptian sexual philosophy and practices, Egyptologist Ruth Schumann-Antelme provides us a new view of the provocative sexual life of the ancient Egyptians.

Richly illustrated throughout, Sacred Sexuality in Ancient Egypt explains the symbolism of the erotic images found on the inner walls of the temples and tombs as well as those carved into pieces of limestone and sketched on papyri. The authors cover in detail the astonishing erotic scenes illustrating the Turin Papyrus, which have long been kept from public view. These papyri reveal in great detail Egyptian attitudes about love, religion, and even medicine, as well as specific sexual practices. Sacred Sexuality in Ancient Egypt reveals the intimate details of a society in which sexuality was the dynamic principle of the divine world, and the cosmic symbolism of religion imbued every level of Egyptian society with sexual significance.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Scholarship!.......2006-10-30

This text is very interesting and it shows that human sexuality in its self hasn't changed that much over the past few thousand years. However, this book is not for the prudish or "up tight" individuals, the content is presented in a forthright and rather blunt manner. This may even give you a few pointers to spice up your own "playtime", I know I learned a lot.

Touches the surface..........2003-05-14

This book is a great source of information for life in ancient Egypt. Hieroglyphic explanations are offered (from a mundane point of view), clothing and hairstyles are explained, food and artistic cultures are discussed. All of these are explored within sexuality and its expression through Egypt's creation/origination stories. I learned very much about Egypt's pantheon and many questions were answered which I haven't found in other works on Egypt. My only complaint with this beautiful book is the lack of spiritual application. Sexual energy is a necessary part of awakening and enlightenment, and the ancient Egyptians were fully aware of this. The practice, study and employment of sacred sex was a vital piece of their esoteric learning. I was disappointed to find the authors ignoring this aspect completely. After reading the book, the title is misleading. It is "sacred" sexuality only in the sense that the practices studied were originated in the religion of that era.

Considers the sexual life of the ancients.......2002-01-11

Ruth Antelme and Stephane Rossini's Sacred Sexuality In Ancient Egypt is the first book to explore the sexual philosophy and practices of the ancient Egyptians, considering the sexual life of the ancients and revealing the social and personal influences of sexuality in their society. Over 160 black and white photos pepper this informative survey of the symbolism of erotic images found in temples and on papyri. A truly intriguing study.

Bits-n-Pieces.......2001-12-26

This is an entertaining and informative book about sex, drugs and rock and roll in ancient Egypt. I am happy to recommend it for amatuer Egyptologists.

I wish it included a more comprehensive presentation though with more detailed footnotes and much less conjecture (presented as fact).

The presentation also suffers from repeated and tiring comments demeaning men and the dronning insistance of ancient Egypt as really a matriarchal society. The tenor and tone of this book is rich in 1980's feminism.

For example, the author spends considerable verbage attacking female circumcision precisely BECAUSE the Egyptians DID NOT practice it.

Nevertheless, these objections aside, this book is a great coffee table conversation starter and fun to read.

Amazing . . but it needs a content warning!!!.......2001-12-13

This book dips into the hidden realm of sexuality in Ancient Egypt! However I would only suggest this book to adult readers, as the content is extremely explceit and graphic!!!!

Looking at Lovemaking: Constructions of Sexuality in Roman Art, 100 B.C. - A.D. 250

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Boobs and phalluses et al.
Clearly Argued, Captivating Book on an Unusual Topic
Lavishly illustrated, unconvincingly argued

Looking at Lovemaking: Constructions of Sexuality in Roman Art, 100 B.C. - A.D. 250
John R. Clarke
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

Roman Sex: 100 B.C. to A.D. 250
Eroticism in Pompeii
Art in the Lives of Ordinary Romans: Visual Representation and Non-Elite Viewers in Italy, 100 B.C.-A.D. 315 (Joan Palevsky Book in Classical Literature)
Sexuality in Greek and Roman Culture (Ancient Cultures)
The Houses of Roman Italy, 100 B.C.-A.D. 250: Ritual, Space, and Decoration

ASIN: 0520229045

Book Description

What did sex mean to the ancient Romans? In this lavishly illustrated study, John R. Clarke investigates a rich assortment of Roman erotic art to answer this question--and along the way, he reveals a society quite different from our own. Clarke reevaluates our understanding of Roman art and society in a study informed by recent gender and cultural studies, and focusing for the first time on attitudes toward the erotic among both the Roman non-elite and women. This splendid volume is the first study of erotic art and sexuality to set these works--many newly discovered and previously unpublished--in their ancient context and the first to define the differences between modern and ancient concepts of sexuality using clear visual evidence.
Roman artists pictured a great range of human sexual activities--far beyond those mentioned in classical literature--including sex between men and women, men and men, women and women, men and boys, threesomes, foursomes, and more. Roman citizens paid artists to decorate expensive objects, such as silver and cameo glass, with scenes of lovemaking. Erotic works were created for and sold to a broad range of consumers, from the elite to the very poor, during a period spanning the first century B.C. through the mid-third century of our era. This erotic art was not hidden away, but was displayed proudly in homes as signs of wealth and luxury. In public spaces, artists often depicted outrageous sexual acrobatics to make people laugh.
Looking at Lovemaking depicts a sophisticated, pre-Christian society that placed a high value on sexual pleasure and the art that represented it. Clarke shows how this culture evolved within religious, social, and legal frameworks that were vastly different from our own and contributes an original and controversial chapter to the history of human sexuality.

Customer Reviews:

Boobs and phalluses et al........2002-03-22

Only one problem (I think): Clarke doesn't really follow up very well on his early-proposed problem, i.e. just how it is that textual representations of sex don't allow us the same latitude of insight into Roman practices as visual works might otherwise. Still, it might be argued that these thousand-word-speaking pictures do the talking for him, and if that's the case, then I'm fine with that. Get this, though. It's a very worthy study.

Clearly Argued, Captivating Book on an Unusual Topic.......2001-01-27

Clarke's book provides very clear analysis of the purpose and nature of ancient Roman erotica. He uses a wide range of sources--literature, instructive manuals, precedent in Greek and Roman art, setting, etc.--to back up his arguments, which he presents in a lucid style that is as pleasurable to read as it is easy to follow. I particularly recommend the chapter on erotic art in public locations in Pompeii.

Lavishly illustrated, unconvincingly argued.......1998-09-26

Clarke claims he is going to reach down from the Roman elite (which produced the literature) to the masses and to reveal a totally alien (to a presumably homogeneous "us") sexuality. The illustrations are plentiful and may be interpreted in many ways--so many and with so little evidence that any Romans saw any of the ways Clarke does that the reader is left to choose with no real guidance from the author. (And rather a lot of the images come from luxury objects so we remain in the world of representations for the upper stratum of Augustan Rome.)

Sexuality in Ancient Art (Cambridge Studies in New Art History and Criticism)

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Sexuality in Ancient Art (Cambridge Studies in New Art History and Criticism)
Bettina Bergman , Ada Cohen , and Eva Steh
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Sexuality and Gender in the Classical World: Readings and Sources (Interpreting Ancient History)
Classical Art and the Cultures of Greece and Rome
Looking at Lovemaking: Constructions of Sexuality in Roman Art, 100 B.C. - A.D. 250

ASIN: 0521476836

Book Description

Sexuality in Ancient Art is the first anthology on the visual representation of the sexual body, sexual activity and desire, and the role of sexuality in the formation of personality and social institutions. Bringing together essays by historians of the art of Egypt and the Ancient Near East, Greece, the Etruscans, and Rome, this collection demonstrates how a variety of methods and theoretical frames can be used to define and articulate these issues. The goal of this volume is to open a range of new subjects and approaches in the visual arts and the problems of representation to students and scholars of the ancient world.

Sex or Symbol?: Erotic Images of Greece and Rome

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Not Too Indepth but Great Illustrations
Informative, Scholastic, Thought-Provoking, and Lively.

Sex or Symbol?: Erotic Images of Greece and Rome
Catherine Johns
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Roman Sex: 100 B.C. to A.D. 250
Looking at Lovemaking: Constructions of Sexuality in Roman Art, 100 B.C. - A.D. 250
Herculaneum: Italy's Buried Treasure
Classical Art: From Greece to Rome (Oxford History of Art)

ASIN: 0415925673

Book Description

Entertaining and thoughtful, this book graphically portrays an area of Greek and Roman life that was an embarrassment to the eighteenth- and nineteenth century scholars discovering these objects in their classical collections. At a time of sexual prudery such material was viewed as unsuitable for serious study and removed from public display.
With 125 black and white and 38 color illustrations, Sex or Symbol? shows that while overt sexual representations were common in painting, sculpture, pottery, jewelry and other minor arts, not all the objects that shocked the Victorians had an erotic purpose. Catherine Johns demonstrates that many had a religious and apotropaic function as well as reflecting the classical delight in erotic art for its own sake. They also shed light on the social mores of the time, in particular the wide range of sexual behavior acceptable in classical antiquity.

Customer Reviews:

Not Too Indepth but Great Illustrations.......2003-07-16

Catherine Johns begins her book by saying that there is a difference between the modern understanding of sex and the ancient one. Her thinking here is call into question our ideas of "obscene." After 150 pages Ms Johns has not developed her thinking beyond pointing out that sexual images were used in ancient times as symbols of fertility or symbols to ward off evil. It was not her intention to do so. She could have merely pointed out the difference in attitudes toward sex between a person who lived in a city and a person who lived on a farm.

Instead it was Ms Johns' intention to provide a pictorial survey of the variety of sexual symbols found in the Greco-Roman world and in this regard she makes her book outstanding. For example, on pages 72 and 73 she shows phallic symbols used as a pendant and as amulets. One amulet shows the combination of three symbols of luck: the phallus, the crescent, and the hand. Page 110 may show a political satire which pokes fun at Cleopatra. And page 82 shows a beautiful silver dish which depicts Pan dancing. There are 160 some odd illustrations in this book and it is the illustrations which make it worth reading.

Informative, Scholastic, Thought-Provoking, and Lively........2000-03-31

My title is composed of the first four adjectives that came to my mind when I thought of this book. Not only is this a splendid resource about an until recently sadly neglected part of ancient studies, erotic artworks, but it is also a historical reference on Victorian scholarship, and a warning about the perils of putting modern culture and preconceptions ahead of the truth found in scientific and historical studies.

Book Description

Kama Sutra : A Modern Guide to the Ancient Art of Sex, takes a unique approach to this massively popular subject, fusing gorgeous Eastern art (tapestries, watercolor, ink drawing, sculptures and relief) with incredibly erotic photographic sequences that are a more practical illustration of the sexual positions listed in the Kama Sutra. A unique element of the book is that it employs a 'his and hers' feature that explains how each sexual position excites and delights men and women in very different ways.

Naked Truths: Women, Sexuality and Gender in Classical Art and Archaeology

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For the casual scholar of antiquity

Naked Truths: Women, Sexuality and Gender in Classical Art and Archaeology
KOlOski-OstrOw
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0415159954

Book Description

Naked Truths explores how sexual difference is communicated symbolically in Greco- Roman art and architecture. Highlighting the visual mechanisms that regulated and reinforced gender roles, this volume demonstrates the application of feminist approaches to a diverse repertory of classical art and, offering both topical and controversial readings of the subjects.

Among the topics discussed are the dynamics of female beauty and male violence in early Italian society; portrayals of nursing mothers in Etruscan and Greek art; the divested breast in classical art; a feminist reading of the nude cult status of the Knidian Aphrodite; Clytemnestra and the iconography of transgression; images of Sappho in Greek vase painting; mortal and divine sexuality in the Parthenon frieze; voyeuristic intercations inspired by the figure of the hermaphrodite; and the role of desire and desirability in shaping a nuanced understanding of sex and gender in the ancient world.

Contributors: Aileen Ajootian, Larissa Bonfante, Shelby Brown, Beth Cohen, Natalie Boymel Kampen, Joan Reilly, John Robb, Nanette Salomon, Jane McIntosh Snyder, Francine Viret Bernal, John G. Younger.

Customer Reviews:

For the casual scholar of antiquity.......2001-03-15

Of the thirteen essays in this collection, one is an introduction to the book, another is a thought provoking epilogue to the collection, and the third is an introduction to the history of feminism is classical art and archaeology. The essays are well-written and arranged in a chronological order that crosses the Greek and Roman lines as it should while the essays themselves recognize the often ignored fact that societies change over time and thus we do not have the Christians compared to Homer's heroes -- a serious problem in some classical studies. These essays challenge many of the assumptions about antiquity including the use of grave goods to determine the sex of the buried. The collection, however, is not for just anyone interested in gender, sexuality and art history or archaeology. In order to benefit the most from this book one needs to be at least casually versed in the issues and debates about ancient Greece and Rome.

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King Tut's woody

Eros on the Nile
Karol Mysliwiec
Manufacturer: Cornell University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

Daily life in ancient Egypt was, according to Karol Mysliwiec, saturated with eroticism and much influenced by cult and magic as well. Ancient Egyptian religion, with its variety of gods living, feeling, and reacting much like mortals, he says, is a valuable index of human lifestyles of the day. Eros on the Nile, which has more than a hundred illustrations, including nineteen in full color, addresses selected facets of the erotic concepts and practices of the ancient Egyptians, as recorded in art and literature; it also includes some recent archaeological discoveries by the author and his colleagues. Mysliwiec presents his theory about one of the most intriguing, mysterious hieroglyphic signs, representing a male face with female coloration.

Mysliwiec examines the cult of the king and his relationship to the gods as reflected in a legend depicting the royal child as the fruit of a relationship between a god and an earthly woman. He discusses in detail the special religious and political role of royal women, which found expression in the institution of the "god's wife" and describes and illustrates sexual episodes depicted in the "Turin Papyrus," a unique document dating from the times of the New Kingdom (2nd Millennium B.C.E.). Contrasting with the somewhat brutal naturalism of these scenes is the subtle sensuality of Ancient Egyptian love poetry, excerpts from which are quoted in the book.

Customer Reviews:

King Tut's woody.......2007-05-30

They never tell you that Pharaoh Tutankhamen was mummified with his (...)standing proud. Which is why anyone who has ever spent any time reading about ancient Egypt needs to read "Eros on the Nile," which fills in a big blank. Without some understanding of sex ideas, nothing of the rest of Egyptian society makes much sense.

Not that, in our terms, it made much sense anyway. In many creation stories, gods created themselves by impregnating their mothers. The illogic of this did not bother the priests, says Karol Mysliwiec, who has worked in Egypt for four decades.

The nutty things the Egyptians believed were not any nuttier than what people believe in churches and mosques every week, but they were distinctively nutty. My favorite was "sprouting Osiris," in which a whole nation worshipped a Chia pet.

However, Mysliwiec examines all this with a perfectly straight face. Readers seeking tabloid style titillation will be disappointed. "The imagination of Egyptian theologians often led them far beyond the bounds of daily life," Mysliewiec writes, "although at times their tales bear comparison with the reports of the present-day gutter press."

Most of the book is about religion, but most of Egyptian religion was about sex, mostly generation. "Anxiety regarding fertility was a permanent feature of Egyptian consciousness."

Egyptians had a different relationship with their gods from us. They frequently threatened and cursed them, not Job-like for what the gods had already imposed on them, but to prevent them from persecuting them.

Sex among the gods ran heavily to incest, with liberal doses of rape and homosexuality. The incest was adopted by the pharaohs and some of the top people, but for most Egyptians, sexual propriety was not too far from what the Rev. Jerry Falwell would have preached, with two exceptions.

The Egyptians had little use for the missionary position, and homosexuality was neither approved nor disapproved.

Mysliwiec says that Egyptians were open and unashamed about sexual matters, though not much in the book ratifies this. However, they maintained certain customs that were not that far from prudery.
"Egyptian love poetry never speaks of marriage," and marriage was merely a contract. It had no legal or religious standing.

Divorce was by contract, too, and the law was aimed to protecting women and children. Surprisingly, Mysliwiec does not say anything about custody of children.

He distinguishes between eroticism and sexuality, which he does not define but appears to mean between psychology and sensuality.

Besides custody, "Eros on the Nile" is also surprisingly silent on inheritance, but otherwise Mysliwiec packs an enormous amount of information in about 125 pages of text. The book is well illustrated and translated into very English English by Geoffrey Packer. Among words not often encountered these days, I noted calque, thill, coroplast and furuncle.

Foucault's Virginity: Ancient Erotic Fiction and the History of Sexuality (The Stanford Memorial Lectures)

Average customer rating:

Another look at a vast subject
Brilliant investigation of eros in later antiquity
I took Foucalt's virginity when he was seventeen.
The depraved and dull work of a dirty old man.

Foucault's Virginity: Ancient Erotic Fiction and the History of Sexuality (The Stanford Memorial Lectures)
Simon Goldhill
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The History of Sexuality: The Use of Pleasure (Vintage) Vol. 2

ASIN: 0521479347

Book Description

This is a study of how sex and sexuality were written about in the first centuries of this era, a central period in the history of sexuality. Writing with the same wit and verve as the ancient writers he engages with, Simon Goldhill shows how the standard accounts of sexuality in this period are distorted by ignoring the sexy, ironic and often bizarre texts of the ancient novel, erotic poetry and humorous dialogues.

Customer Reviews:

Another look at a vast subject.......2002-06-08

Witty, compelling, brash, frustrating, thoughtful, and just downright fun. Goldhill attempts to out-foucault Foucault. He makes a good case for reading "virginity" as a sly form of knowledge.Taking on the master this broadly is of course folly, but Goldhill does it so entertainingly and with enough rigor to potentially open a new line of discussion in this daunting arena. And I think that's just what Foucault intended, isn't it?

Brilliant investigation of eros in later antiquity.......2001-12-31

Goldhill's book aims to counter the massive influence of Foucault's explorations of eros in Greek literature under the Roman empire by demonstrating the greater complexity, irony, and variety of approaches in a host of different authors. Innovative and compelling, it has already garnered a well-deserved reputation.

I took Foucalt's virginity when he was seventeen........2001-03-13

Goldhill is - once again - lying through his beard in this, his latest 'book'. I had Foucault - he was a virgin prior to this - so I bought this book with the eager expectation of an account of this brief but pleasurable experience. Yet what do I find? Goldhill's evasions and, yes, outright lies. You liar, Goldhill. Liar.

The depraved and dull work of a dirty old man........2001-01-12

This tedious lingering on filth reflects Goldhill's perverted and cess-pit-like mind. There is an intelligent, sensitive tome to be written on this topic. This is not it. Shame on him. Shame.

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