A Natural History of LoveRandom House, 1994 - 358 páginas Following the triumphant success of her A Natural History of the Senses, Diane Ackerman has turned her formidable gifts to that greatest gift of all - the elusive, eternal, and endlessly interesting matter of love. The result is pure Ackerman: a splendid, serious, scientific, poetic, playful, and lyrical "tour d'horizon" of love's many forms and faces. Ackerman draws on a variety of sources, both classical and from her immediate experience. The historical, cultural, religious, and biological roots of love are all explored and illuminated. She gives a fresh new reading to Freud ("mapping the war zones of the heart"), Stendhal (love as fantasy), and Proust ("the erotics of waiting"), and draws lessons from lovers across time. Her attention then moves to the physical - the chemistry, biology, and neurophysiology associated with love in the brain, mind, and body. She discusses the "evolution of the face", the cuddle, both as caress and as chemical, and the customs of marriage. There are astonishments everywhere. Her distinctive touch, aided by her personal adventures and explorations, enriches our understanding of women and horses, men and mermaids, sex and flying, and other equally enticing subjects. The book begins: "Love is the great intangible". Diane Ackerman then proceeds to make it more tangible, traceable, breathable, and ... well, lovable. |
De dentro do livro
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Página 133
... male instinctively wars with any other male that enters his territory . Seeing a female's red breast , a male's instinct is to attack her , and hers is to fly off . Instead , at courting time , she stands fast , becomes coy , showing ...
... male instinctively wars with any other male that enters his territory . Seeing a female's red breast , a male's instinct is to attack her , and hers is to fly off . Instead , at courting time , she stands fast , becomes coy , showing ...
Página 179
... male or female ? When we see a person of ambiguous gender walking down the street , we instinctively struggle to read the clues . Is it male or female ? That is the oldest question , one posed by children , shamans , and poets alike ...
... male or female ? When we see a person of ambiguous gender walking down the street , we instinctively struggle to read the clues . Is it male or female ? That is the oldest question , one posed by children , shamans , and poets alike ...
Página 290
... males cooperate ? Probably for two reasons : first , it may be that males join forces with related males , so that the family's genes will survive , regardless of which male gets to sire the offspring . Second , because it encourages ...
... males cooperate ? Probably for two reasons : first , it may be that males join forces with related males , so that the family's genes will survive , regardless of which male gets to sire the offspring . Second , because it encourages ...
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A Natural History of Love: Author of the National Bestseller A Natural ... Diane Ackerman Visualização parcial - 2011 |
A Natural History of Love: Author of the National Bestseller A Natural ... Diane Ackerman Visualização parcial - 1995 |
Termos e frases comuns
Abelard Anaïs Nin ancient ancient Egypt animals aphrodisiac baby beautiful became become blood body brain breasts bride called cantharidin changed child color courtly love cultures Dave Thomas death Directions Publishing earth Egyptian emotion erotic evolved eyes face fall in love father feel felt female Freud friends girl goddess Greek groom hair hand heart Heloise Honduras horse human husband idea ideal Interplast Iseult John Donne kiss lives look lovers male marriage married mate mermaid mind moral Morholt mother mouth myth nature night obsessed one's other's Ovid oxytocin parents passion penis person Plato play poems Proust relationship riding rituals romantic romantic love seems sense sensuality sexual skin society someone sometimes songs Stendhal symbol things thought tion touch Tristan Tristan and Iseult turn waiting wedding wife wild woman women word worship wrote young