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Bezig met laden... A History of Celibacy (1999)door Elizabeth Abbott
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Meld je aan bij LibraryThing om erachter te komen of je dit boek goed zult vinden. Op dit moment geen Discussie gesprekken over dit boek. Abbott’s treatise on all manners and varieties of celibacy throughout history is wide-ranging but not all-encompassing. Any such attempt would make the work doubly thick but not doubly rich. While some of her assertions cannot be entirely substantiated, they do not detract from the overall scholarship. An excellent start into this subject area. geen besprekingen | voeg een bespreking toe
Verwijzingen naar dit werk in externe bronnen. Wikipedia in het Engels (11)"Elizabeth Abbott's spirited and provocative exploration of celibacy debunks the traditionally held notion that celibacy is a predominantly religious concept of little concern to the secular world. With myriad examples, Abbott's history reveals insights not only about our religious practices but also about our sexual desires and changing attitudes toward gender and physical health." "From the vestal virgins of ancient Rome, who were entombed alive if they broke their vows, to contemporary athletes, who "conserve semen" to enhance their game, from celibacy as a guarantee for marriage to involuntary celibacy among prisoners, eunuchs, and young women cloistered against their will, Abbott puts a human face on celibacy, capturing the anguish of the castrated boy destined for an operatic career, the ecstasy of the woman whose celibacy is rewarded by visions of Christ, and the anger of the bachelor doomed by the surplus of males in contemporary China."--Jacket. Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)909History and Geography History World historyLC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
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Abbott is at her best in her vivid descriptions of the lives of strong, unconventional women – early Christians (real or apocryphal) who could be reformed prostitutes, desert-dwelling virgins or rebellious daughters; the Beguines, a loose spiritual community of women who did good deeds; Catherine of Siena – her extravagant asceticism gave her a power she could never have had in a conventional life but is also somewhat disturbing; powerful virgin priestesses – the Roman vestal virgins and the Incan acllas; Joan of Arc and the Crow warrior Woman Chief; artistic women in Boston marriages. For women who voluntarily chose to become celibate, the rewards could be immense – equal or superior status to men, control of their bodies and future, freedom from drudgery and childbirth. But of course many women were forced to remain chaste in some way – forced into a convent, victims of the double standard in multiple ways. Men who chose to be celibate often saw women as, at best, a distraction and at worst a sinful inferior being. Abbott is clearly writing from a feminist perspective. For the most part, she seems sympathetic to or at least gives a very good description of the power of the draw of celibacy. However, it is clear that patriarchal society and the church hierarchy are often the villains in her summaries. She notes “I seek spirituality in my religion, Christianity, but exploring its roots as I researched this book left me instead struggling to retain my religious faith.” Her contempt in some of the sections – on the role of Hindu widows, Chinese foot binding, female genital mutilation, American slaveholders and 19th c. English attitudes towards prostitution – comes through.
This being a history of celibacy, there are some queasily memorable bits – Abbott’s description of actual chastity belts, the horrifying-sounding impotence tests in pre-Revolutionary France, the multiple methods of castration that were described. Overall very interesting. ( )