Love in the Western World, from Plato to Dating Apps

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From ancient Eros to the divine union of mystics, from medieval chivalry to romantic passion and the scientific study of sexuality, Western societies have been reinventing the meaning and experience of love. These reinventions offer an insight into the arrangements, needs, and purposes of these societies. The course proposes to investigate how, why, and to what end a social order defines and understands love at a particular historical junction. Readings include Plato and Neoplatonism, the Christian Gospel, medieval mysticism, romances of chivalry, Renaissance theatre and poetry, the romantic novel, and contemporary culture.