Downing, Christine. Myths and Mysteries of Same-Sex Love.
Continuum Pub. Co. Sept. 1989. c.348p. illus. index. ISBN
0-8264-0445-6. $22.95
[PSYCHOLOGY]
Downing's book is a critical analysis of same-sex love
throughout history, an attempt to discover hidden information
about homosexuality. She shows that "homosexuality" is
in fact an illusion, a category poorly defined by 19th-century
psychologists. By analysing the writings of Freud, Jung,
Foucault, and others, Downing draws surprising conclusions that
add up collectively to a far different historical picture of
lesbians and gay men that the one we assume. She notes, for
instance, that "Freud's own writings reveal a rather
different understanding of homosexuality than that usually
attributed to psychoanalysis." Downing concludes by
examining the dynamics of same-sex love between Greek deities and
discussing the homoerotic content of works by Plato and Sappho.
Though specialized, a useful work for general collections.
Kevin M. Roddy, Oakland Public Library, California