Category Archives: Love
HINDU WIDOW
(c. 1889)
The Plight of Hindu Widows as Described by a Widow Herself
This anonymous selection was originally published in the Methodist Church Missionary Society’s magazine The Gospel in All Lands in April of 1889. Little is known about its author or its exact date of composition, except that the author, “a … Continue reading
Filed under Asia, Hindu Widow, anonymous, Hinduism, Honor and Disgrace, Love, Selections, Slavery, The Modern Era
ANNE LOUISE GERMAINE DE STAËL-HOLSTEIN
(1766-1817)
from On the Influence of the Passions
from Reflections on Suicide
Anne Louise Germaine née Necker, Baroness of Staël-Holstein, widely known as Madame de Staël, was an important Swiss-French writer known for her work in literary criticism and for her novels. She was the daughter of a politician, Jacques Necker; … Continue reading
WILLIAM GODWIN
(1756-1836)
from Enquiry Concerning Political Justice
from Memoirs of the Author of ‘A Vindication of the Rights of Woman’
William Godwin, as both novelist and as radical political philosopher, advocated the abolition of legal and social restrictions imposed by government or controlling members of society. Born in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, he served as a minister of a dissenting religious … Continue reading
Filed under Europe, Godwin, William, Love, Martyrdom, Selections, The Early Modern Period
JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE
(1749-1832)
from The Sorrows of Young Werther
from Truth and Poetry: From My Own Life
Goethe was a poet, dramatist, amateur scientist, and man of letters. His lyrical style helped to invigorate German literature, and he is widely considered to be Germany’s greatest poet. Goethe also engaged in various kinds of scientific research, including … Continue reading
CHIKAMATSU MONZAEMON
(1653-1725)
from The Love Suicides at Sonezaki
Chikamatsu Monzaemon, born Sugimori Nobumori, the second son of a minor samurai family, is recognized as the first modern Japanese dramatist. Often called “the Japanese Shakespeare,” he is widely considered the most important playwright of the Tokugawa age. As … Continue reading
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(1653-1725)
from The Love Suicides at Sonezaki
Filed under Asia, Buddhism, Chikamatsu Monzaemon, Love, Selections, The Early Modern Period
PLATO
(c. 424-c. 348 B.C.)
Apology: Socrates On Being Condemned to Death
Phaedo: The Death of Socrates
Republic: On Medicine
Laws: Recidivist Criminals and Penalties for Suicide
Plato was born in Athens into an aristocratic family during the Peloponnesian War, in the waning years of Greece’s golden age, when Athens was in decline after having been the cultural, political, and military center of Greece. According to … Continue reading