Edward Carpenter (1) (1844–1929)

This is a collection of essays about love, relationships between men and women, and the need for sex and relationship education—so to some extent nothing much has changed in 115 years or so: these matters are still very much on the agenda. Here and there though, despite the enthusiasm for women's freedom, independence, equality with men, and right to meaningful education, there's still an undertone of women being intellectually inferior to men and more emotional and irrational. All in all, show more definitely worth reading. show less

I tried very hard not to laugh at some sections of this essay that sees modern civilisation more or less as a disease that can be cured by returning to a closer relationship with nature.

The title essay is of most enduring interest as the observations about the health effects of civilization remain pertinent. Parts of the essays on science have been negated by further research, for example genetic science has provided evolution with a means of action unknown to the author.

A deeply spiritual book, written from direct experience of cosmic consciousness. It has nothing to do with gay studies as indicated in the tags; the author happened to be homosexual but that's irrelevant to the content of this work. It is most akin to the writings of Walt Whitman and is a key part of the literature of the Transcendental Movement.