Myths and Mysteries of Same-Sex Love
Downing's book is a critical analysis of same-sex love throughout history, an attempt to discover hidden information about homosexuality. She shows that "homosexuality" is in fact an illusion, a category poorly defined by 19th-century psychologists. By analyzing the writings of Freud, Jung, Foucault, and others, Downing draws surprising conclusions that add up collectively to a far different historical picture of lesbians and gay men than the one we assume. She notes, for instance, that "Freud's own writings reveal a rather different understanding of homosexuality than that usually attributed to psychoanalysis." Downing concludes by examining the dynamics of same-sex love between Greek deities and discussing the homoerotic content of works by Plato and Sappho. Though specialized, a useful work for general collections.- Kevin M. Roddy, Oakland P.L., Cal.Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.