Love's Body
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''Love's Body'' is a 1966 book about
philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
by the American classicist
Norman O. Brown Norman Oliver Brown (September 25, 1913 – October 2, 2002) was an American scholar, writer, and social philosopher. Beginning as a classical scholar, his later work branched into wide-ranging, erudite, and intellectually sophisticated cons ...
. The work develops themes explored by Brown in his previous book, ''
Life Against Death ''Life Against Death: The Psychoanalytical Meaning of History'' (1959; second edition 1985) is a book by the American classicist Norman O. Brown, in which the author offers a radical analysis and critique of the work of Sigmund Freud, tries to pro ...
'' (1959). The book was first published in the United States by
Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...
.


Summary

Brown describes ''Love's Body'' as a continuation of his project in his previous work, ''Life Against Death'' (1959), noting that its themes were foreshadowed by the last chapter of that work, "The Resurrection of the Body". In ''Love's Body'', Brown discusses the work of
Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud ( , ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychopathology, pathologies explained as originatin ...
, the founder of
psychoanalysis PsychoanalysisFrom Greek: + . is a set of theories and therapeutic techniques"What is psychoanalysis? Of course, one is supposed to answer that it is many things — a theory, a research method, a therapy, a body of knowledge. In what might b ...
, in relation to
philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
and the theory of the
social contract In moral and political philosophy Political philosophy or political theory is the philosophical study of government, addressing questions about the nature, scope, and legitimacy of public agents and institutions and the relationships betw ...
. The book is a critique of the Western tradition of political thought, and argues that the body, rather than reason or the mind, is the key to understanding human nature and society. He compares Freud's views in ''
Moses and Monotheism ''Moses and Monotheism'' (german: Der Mann Moses und die monotheistische Religion, ) is a 1939 book about the origins of monotheism written by Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis. It is Freud's final original work and it was completed i ...
'' (1939) to those of the philosopher Sir
Robert Filmer Sir Robert Filmer (c. 1588 – 26 May 1653) was an English political theorist who defended the divine right of kings. His best known work, ''Patriarcha'', published posthumously in 1680, was the target of numerous Whig attempts at rebuttal, ...
in ''
Patriarcha ''Patriarcha, or The Natural Power of Kings'' is a 1680 book by the English philosopher Robert Filmer, defending the divine right of kings on the basis that all modern states' authority derived from the Biblical patriarchs (whom he saw as Adam' ...
'' (1680), arguing that Freud and Filmer both identified "patriarchy and monarchy, political and paternal power." He also discusses the philosopher
John Locke John Locke (; 29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known as the "father of liberalism ...
. In ''Love's Body'' Brown argues that Western society is dominated by a mind-body dualism, in which the body is seen as inferior to the mind, and that this dualism is responsible for many of the ills of modern society, including war, repression, and alienation. The book also explores the idea of a "
polymorphous perversity Polymorphous perversity is a psychoanalytic concept proposing the ability to gain sexual gratification outside socially normative sexual behaviors. Sigmund Freud used this term to describe the sexual disposition from infancy to about age five. Fre ...
" which is the idea that human sexuality is not fixed and can take many different forms. ''Love's Body'' also explores the relationship between love, sexuality and politics. Brown's argument is that the repression of the body and sexuality is rooted in the political structures of society, and that the liberation of the body and sexuality is necessary for true political freedom. His is considered an important work of critical theory and is still widely read and discussed today.


Publication history

''Love's Body'' was first published in 1966 by Random House. The book was republished in 1990 by the
University of California Press The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by faculty ...
.


Reception

''Love's Body'' was criticized by the philosopher
Herbert Marcuse Herbert Marcuse (; ; July 19, 1898 – July 29, 1979) was a German-American philosopher, social critic, and political theorist, associated with the Frankfurt School of critical theory. Born in Berlin, Marcuse studied at the Humboldt University ...
in the February 1967 issue of ''
Commentary Commentary or commentaries may refer to: Publications * ''Commentary'' (magazine), a U.S. public affairs journal, founded in 1945 and formerly published by the American Jewish Committee * Caesar's Commentaries (disambiguation), a number of works ...
''. Marcuse criticized Brown's use of religious symbolism, arguing that while Brown tried to give it a sexual significance, it resulted in the "spiritualization of sexuality" and the reduction of sexuality to something symbolic. Brown's reply to Marcuse appeared in the March 1967 issue of ''Commentary''. The author
Sam Keen Sam Keen (born 1931) is an American author, professor, and philosopher who is best known for his exploration of questions regarding love, life, wonder, religion, and being a male in contemporary society. He co-produced ''Faces of the Enemy'', an a ...
noted that ''Love's Body'' is very different in approach and style from ''Life Against Death'', in that it abandoned "rational arguments" for "aphorism, poetry, and free association". Brown commented that while writing ''Love's Body'', he felt an obligation to "undo what I had done in ''Life Against Death''" and to "release any followers I had acquired or at least to confuse them". The historian Paul Robinson maintained that ''Love's Body'' reveals that psychoanalysis was only a stage in Brown's development toward religious mysticism. He observed that while the book contains "a racy (and confusing) display of sexual rhetoric", its erotic language is "largely metaphorical". He argued that ''Love's Body'' made explicit the "antipolitical assumptions" implicit in ''Life Against Death''. The critic
Camille Paglia Camille Anna Paglia (; born April 2, 1947) is an American feminist academic and social critic. Paglia has been a professor at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, since 1984. She is critical of many aspects of modern cultur ...
identified ''Love's Body'' as "one of the most famous and influential books of my college years."


References


Bibliography

;Books * * * * * * * {{refend 1966 non-fiction books American non-fiction books Books by Norman O. Brown English-language books Philosophy books Random House books