Overview

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION y THIS work, with the two already published, the Physiology of Love Fisiologia dell amore and the Hygiene of Love Igiene dell 9 amore, completes the Love Trilogy Trilogia dell amore . My friend, the reader, you who, for many years now, have accorded me a kindly attention in the course of my studies on the subject of mankind, you are not to take in bad part the daring volume with which I here present you, and which represents one of the most important pages of human psy chology. If you were merely to glance at the title, or to read but a few pages of it, it well may be that you would think harshly of it but when you shall have read it through, I am certain that you will feel like shedding a few tears, as I have done in the writing of it. The veiling of the recesses of the human heart in the name of modesty may appear a virtue but it is, to tell the truth, nothing other than fear or hypocrisy. Modern science, which is fashioning a morality that is truer, safer and more frank, can afford to take Its stand only upon the whole, deep-going consciousness of the whole man. That is why it is, hoping for a better mankind to be, I have sought to show man as he has been and man as he is today. Read my book, therefore, without prejudice, as I have honestly thought it out and written it. PAOLO MANTEGAZZA Serenella PREFACE TO THE ELEVENTH EDITION THE MODESTY OF SCIENCE WHEN I first published the Hygiene of Love, I was surprised to observe how, by some fortunately few in number, it was looked upon as a veritable offense to modesty, one to be punished in accordance with the laws governing the press, and particularly, those having to do with the public xvelfare. One of themost renowned men of letters in Italy even went so far as to exclaim that, were he to catch sight of the book in question in a ladys drawing room, he would never call upon her again. This notoriety which was stirred up over my book sur prised me, but it did not pain xne instead, I had recourse to Time, who corrects the errata on nearly all the pages of human wretchedness. And Time was a gentleman, and held that I was right. The man of letters of whom I am speaking would like to have turned midnight into midday, or to have gone whale-fishing in the Arno and accordingly, in the opinion he passed, he was at once presumptuous and unjust. I had not written my book that it might find a place in ladies drawing rooms I had written it for the young, for young men and for women as well, for all persons of good sense, who would like to exercise all of lifes functions with science and with conscience to guide them. If Time, as I say, treated me like a gentleman, it was for the reason that my Hygiene of Love scientifically demon strated the harm that comes to health from libertinism, mas turbation, all the perversions of love, while loudly proclaim ing the advantages of chastity, and so was to be looked upon as a moral work, and not in any wise as an offense to modesty. It was, indeed, translated into French and pub il have thought it timely to reproduce here the Preface to the reprint ot we Hygiene of Love, PREFACE TO THE ELEVENTH EDITION v lished in the Library of Universal Science it was later trans lated into German, and was received with much favor by the most serious-minded men of all countries. A few years afterward, I published another book, The Sexual Relations of Mankind. The storm, nowbecome a hurricane, criticism was transformed into invective, and mass meetings came near being held, to demand of the Govern ment that I be expelled from my professional chair and from the Senate. For a number of months, I could not open a newspaper without seeing my name, which had always been that of a gentleman and a scholar, piteously dragged through the mire, with the most vituperative adjectives and the most eloquent adverbs to be found in our dictionary...

Full Product Details

9781406769562

Table of Contents

Reviews

Author Information

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available