This extensive series delves into the depths of the human psyche and sexuality during a pivotal era, spanning from the Victorian age to Freud. It examines the transformations in social norms, personal desires, and cultural influences that shaped intimate lives. Each volume uncovers a fascinating perspective on how notions of marriage, love, and longing evolved over time. This is compelling reading for anyone interested in history, psychology, and the complexities of human relationships.
Focusing on nineteenth-century sexual behavior, this book utilizes a wide range of primary sources to challenge and redefine stereotypes, particularly regarding women's sexuality. By delving into historical contexts, it offers fresh insights that illuminate the complexities of sexual norms and behaviors during this era, providing a nuanced understanding of the interplay between gender and sexuality.
Set against a backdrop of shifting societal norms, the book delves into a pivotal era when the lines between erotic expression and restraint began to blur, reshaping the nature of love. It combines meticulous research with a lyrical writing style, offering insights into the complexities of Victorian relationships, both fictional and real. The author’s ability to weave together historical context and personal experiences creates a compelling narrative that captures the essence of the "tender passion" during this transformative time.
Gay's search through middle-class Victorian culture, illuminated by lively portraits of such daunting figures as Bismarck, Darwin and his acolytes, George Eliot, and the great satirists Daumier and Wilhelm Busch, covers a vast terrain: the relations between men and women, wit, demagoguery, and much more. We discover the multiple ways in which the nineteenth century at once restrained aggressive behavior and licensed it. Aggression split the social universe into insiders and outsiders. "By gathering up communities of insiders," Professor Gay writes, the Victorians "discovered--only too often invented--a world of strangers beyond the pale, of individuals and classes, races and nations it was perfectly proper to debate, patronize, ridicule, bully, exploit, or exterminate." The aggressions so channeled or bottled could not be contained forever. Ultimately, they exploded in the First World War.
Exploring the contrast between the external achievements of industrialists and scientists and the introspective journey of self-discovery, the author highlights how the pursuit of understanding one's inner self became a significant focus during a time of rapid progress. This examination reveals the complexities of human experience as individuals grapple with their identities amidst societal advancements.
Während die Bürger der Unter- und Mittelschicht aus Unwissenheit, oder auch aus Unsicherheit gegenüber den sich ständig wechselnden Stilrichtungen in der Bildenden Kunst, der Musik und der Literatur, häufig am traditionellen Kunstgeschmack festhielten, gab es durchaus - vor allem in der Oberschicht - Bürger, die sich der Avantgarde und den Vorreitern der Moderne aufgeschlossen gegenüber zeigten. Sie betätigten sich als Sammler traditioneller und moderner Werke, insbesondere auch der ersten Impressionisten und machten ihre Kunstschätze der breiten Öffentlichkeit als Stiftungen zugänglich.§Die Künstler hingegen, die bestrebt waren, sich deutlich in ihren Werken von allen Zwängen gesellschaftlicher Konventionen zu befreien, überschütteten die Bourgeoisie in der zweiten Hälfte des Jahrhunderts heftiger als je zuvor mit Häme. Ihr Anspruch auf Kultiviertheit sei lächerlich, es fehle ihr jeglicher Kunstsinn, und sie huldige daher nur dem Kitsch oder einem prahlerischen Kunstkonsum.§ Peter Gay zeigt, daß diese zum Teil heftig ausgetragenen Konflikte letztendlich dennoch dazu führten, daß sich der Kulturbetrieb im 19. Jahrhundert in beispielloser Vielfalt entwickeln konnte.