The Evolution of Love

The author traces the emotional history of erotic feeling through three stages: a primal sexual instinct, a phase of metaphysical eroticism that elevates and deifies the beloved (exemplified in medieval courtly devotion and certain religious and artistic traditions), and a later synthesis that attempts to reconcile sexuality with spiritual love. He examines cultural expressions and perversions of these forms — from exaltation of woman and mystic brides to death-embracing and obscene extremes — and argues for a psychogenetic law whereby individual erotic life mirrors broader human development.