Description
Book Synopsis? Widely considered the most complex of human emotions, romantic love both shapes and reflects core societal values, its expression offering a window into the cultural zeitgeist. In popular culture, romantic love has long been a mainstay of film, television and music. The gap between fictitious narratives of love and real-life ones is, however, usually wide--American''s expectations of romance and affection often transcend reality. Tracing the history of love in American culture, this book offers insight into both the national character and emotional nature.
Trade ReviewDo you think Love is eternal? Timeless? Always sublime
Love in America: A Cultural History of the Past Century will persuade you otherwise. Lawrence Samuel takes readers on a gallop through the 20th century, showing how ideas about love, and its expression, have changed dramatically, along with social and cultural shifts. Using popular culture, expert advice, literature, and commentary from lovers themselves, Samuel shows that the meaning of love, for better or for worse, is constantly in flux."—Elaine Tyler May, author of
Homeward Bound: American Families in the Cold War Era"Is love an American obsession? Is free-wheeling sex spiraling? Has conventional marriage gone the way of the dinosaurs? Anyone who is concerned that we are forging entirely new patterns of courtship and wedding will discover, from this fascinating book, that those of the 1920s (and on) suffered the same angst. This book puts into vivid historical perspective a host of current fears about romance and partnering--and proves in subtle and elegant ways that love and attachment are central to humanity, regardless of how expressed. Enjoy an illuminating read."—Dr. Helen Fisher, Senior Research Fellow, The Kinsey Institute, New York
"Fascinating (and engagingly written), often surprising, account of the history over the last 100 years of the way love has been seen in popular culture in the U.S., with a vivid focus on movies, books, magazines, newspaper stories, songs--and for the recent past, internet and social media."—Arthur Aron, research professor, Stony Brook University.
