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Sex, Sects and Society

Sex, Sects and Society

Russell Davies

(2018)

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Book Details

Abstract

In an extended account of national identity, this companion volume to People, Places and Passions provides the first detailed study of the sexual and spiritual life of Wales in the period 1870–1945. The author argues that whilst Wales and its people experienced a disenchantment of the spiritual world, a revolution in sexual life was taking place. This innovative study examines how advances in life expectancy and improvements in health were reflected in emotional life. In contrast to the traditional emphasis upon hardship and hardscrabble experiences, this fascinating and beautifully written volume shows that the Welsh were also a free and fun-loving people.


Table of Contents

Section Title Page Action Price
Cover 1
Title Page 4
Copyright 5
Contents 6
Diolchiadau – Acknowledgements 8
Introduction: 'To Begin at the Beginning' 10
1: 'Dygwyl y Meirwon' (Festival of the Dead): Death, Transcendence and Transience 18
2: The Citadel: Pain, Anxiety and Wellbeing 46
3: Going Gently into that Good Night: Desolation, Dispiritedness and Melancholy 90
4: Where, When, What Was Wales and who were the Welsh? Contentment, Disappointment and Embarrassment 108
5: 'The Way of all Flesh': Prudery, Passion and Perversion 146
6: Love in a Cold Climate: Fidelity, Friendship and Fellowship 192
7: Religion and Superstition: Fear, Foreboding and Faith 234
8: The Pursuit of Pleasure: Enthrallment, Happiness and Imagination 298
Conclusion: A Few Selected Exits 370
Notes 376
Index 468
Back Cover 478