A Wild Constraint
The Case for Chastity
Published on 11. December 2008
Book
Paperback/Softback
176 pages
978-0-8264-8712-4 (ISBN)
Description
In A Wild Constraint: The Case for Chastity, Taylor addresses the provocative subject of celibacy. Too often considered an exclusively religious option, celibacy has been reclaimed by some feminists and sociologists over the last 20 years as a radical alternative in secular society to the liberal sexual lifestyle. What, after all, is sexual liberation when so often the outcome is pain and social chaos? In the context of promiscuity, sexual abuse and confusion, celibacy can herald a different sexual freedom. Jenny Taylor draws on personal experience and interviews with men and women of all ages to demonstrate the impact of the sexual revolution and to make a case for celibacy. She argues that celibacy is a viable alternative that deserves to be taken seriously and challenges the church to speak out for sexual abstinence with confidence and certainty.
Reviews / Votes
"More people remain single longer, if not for life, than ever before. In the face of this, coupled with popular cultural messages promoting an active sex life, Taylor's advocacy for chastity is timely and provocative. Drawing on personal interviews, social statistics and references to sources ranging from Freud to Bridget Jones, Taylor (Faith and Power: Christianity and Islam in 'Secular' Britain) chastises what she deems to be a dangerous degree of sexual freedom. The book is at its best when describing the possibilities and benefits of chastity for the individual and society." -Publishers Weekly, December 15, 2008 "Celibacy-chosen sexlessness-comes in for lots of ribbing in today's hypersexualized culture, as though it were an illness or a misfortune. Taylor takes a thoughtful new look at celibacy, reminding us that church traditions that once celebrated singlehood and virginity have turned against them. She makes an eloquent case for the faith and power inherent in chastity, which may yet again prove a bulwark within a culture where both closed and "open" marriages seem doomed to failure and where the yearning for connectedness not constrained by sexuality is widespread. Eye-opening and helpful; recommended for most collections."-Starred Review, Library Journal, January 2009 "In a society obsessed with sexuality Jenny Taylor's elegant essay comes as a welcome and refreshing change." - Catholic Herald "Jenny Taylor's elegant essay comes as a welcome and refreashing change ... offers an interesting survey of contemporary attitudes." Catholic Herald, January 2009 Review in Church Times, April 2009 "...it is a well written, scholarly treatment of the subject and it will certainly make you think." The Irish Catholic, September 2009 All God's Children - Vol 2.2 2010 "The social dimension and implications of individual sexuality...[are] carefully developed and powerfully stated." -- Richard Norman, New Directions Mention in Church of England Newspaper, February 2009 Mention in Baptist Times, March 2009 "This is an excellent, brave book and one which will delight and challenge in equal measure, and it is highly recommended." -Interserve Magazine "Very readable, with a good amount of anecdotal material, and an amusing style whish is at times enjoyably risque ... certain to make an otherwise uneventful train journey pass more speedily." - New Directions Mention in author's own article in The Times, February 2009More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Dimensions
Height: 215 mm
Width: 141 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
232 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8264-8712-4 (9780826487124)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
12/2008
1st Edition
Continuum Publishing Corporation
€17.49
Available for download
Person
Jenny Taylor is a well-known journalist and academic, and a published author. She is Director of Lapido Media, a charity that promotes religious literacy in public affairs. Her writing has appeared in numerous textbooks and academic journals. Her previous book Faith and Power: Christianity and Islam in 'Secular' Britain is published by SPCK and Wipf and Stock.
Content
Preface; 1 The State We're In; 2 In the Image of Dog: Freud and his Disciples; 3 Sex and the Destruction of Childhood; 4 Virtue and the Vamp: Women as Culture Carriers; 5 The Church's Turn Against Chastity; 6 Alone Again - Naturally; 7 Sexuality for Society; 8 Surviving Chastity; Appendix: Contemplative exercises from The Shattered Lantern by Ronald Rolheiser SJ.; Selected Bibliography.