Love and Desire in the Penny Press

Love and Desire in the Penny Press

By: Elizabeth Burt

It came as no surprise that love, weddings, elopements, and divorces were frequent topics in the penny press. People want to read something that they can relate to on some level, and the emotions associated with love are a fairly universal experience. I found it somewhat amusing, to be honest, that many of the stories Professor Burt was able to find about love and desire in the press were about love gone wrong. This is fitting, considering the overall tone of our analysis and discussion of love and desire last semester.

It has long been established that the images and articles published in the press have a significant impact on how we create gender roles.  Depictions of women in the Penny Press contributed to the idealized image of a woman at the time. Likewise, the depictions of men had an impact on the expectations that women had of them. Many newspapers portrayed women as delicate, demure creatures who were to be courted by men. Although this depiction was derived from societal norms, the penny press reinforced the image. Many men, in turn, used fragments of this gender role to ‘fill in the blanks’ of their idealized image of their beloved. Similarly, women had certain expectations about men that molded their idealized image of the beloved as a strong, chivalrous provider.

Additionally, the alteration of messages sent by the press can cause a shift in relationship norms. I would be interested to see the relationship between the number of divorce articles in the press and the divorce rate. My inclination is to say that as divorce was discussed more openly in the media, it became more common and socially acceptable. Professor Burt explained that as the years went on, the Penny Press began publishing divorce stories far more frequently. This observation falls in line with the idea that press on divorce varies directly with the divorce rate, which saw a nearly linear increase from 1860 to 1930 (See: http://www.thecurseof1920.com/images/image002.jpg). This relationship is fairly intuitive – if divorce is seen and heard of more, it will happen more frequently.  Also, by extension, the converse is true – as divorce happens more frequently, it will appear more frequently in the press.

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Love and Desire: Examples from Ancient Art and Archeology

Dr. Freund’s lecture put a very heavy emphasis on the creation and worship of images. Although the images of which he spoke were primarily religious, I can see the relation to the concepts about love and desire that we explored last semester. The way we construct images for gods and other mythical characters is very similar to the way we create an image of the beloved and in many ways, we also worship the object of desire.

I found it interesting that the Jewish and Catholic traditions call for the complete banishment of false images. Creating a false image of god theoretically creates a barrier between you and your perceived divine being. To create an image of another is to infuse the other with your own desires. It seems as though the banishment of images was enforced so that followers wouldn’t merge the concept of god with their personal desire for what god should do and be for them. This concept sounds somewhat similar to the Buddhist belief that desire is the root of suffering. In the Catholic or Jewish traditions, this ‘suffering’ would be the separation between the individual and god.

Several of the major symbols Dr. Freund outlined were of the avian sort – the swan and the eagle. At the start of this discussion, my mind immediately went to the falcon that appears in the first scene of Celestina and I would be curious to know what the falcon symbolized in ancient art. I am not well versed in Greek mythology, but it seems that in the story of Zeus and Leda, Zeus forces himself upon his victims much like Celestina would enchant her victims. Can this possibly be interpreted as another piece of literature that enforces the concept that there is no escaping desire?

Seeking Love after Divorce: Changes in Dating and Love after a First Marriage

It seemed like Aimee Miller-Ott had not only done extensive research in her field, but was passionate about it as well. I’m curious what led her to the topic of communication after divorce and the reason for her fascination with it.  As a child of divorce, I found much of her research to be relatable. I can distinctly recall watching my parents go through all the stages of establishing comfortable levels of autonomy and reliance that worked for both of them. The overwhelming message I took from the lecture was this: Divorce is the master-balancing act. Not only do you have to monitor communication with all parties involved, but you also have to be concerned about others’ feelings while still reeling from your own heartbreak.

Divorced partners cannot escape desire – it’s just a matter of whether they desire their ex-spouse, a new dating partner, or simply being alone. If there is a mismatch in the foci of desire, then it becomes a problem of feelings being hurt and jealousy. One partner may end up in a place of feeling wronged and abandoned while the other feels guilty or restricted. In this case, desire can be the unraveling of platonic love, as well as romantic love.

It seems intuitive that the desires of one partner can affect the desires of the other. If, for example, one partner desires a new relationship and begins dating shortly after the divorce, their ex spouse may be prompted to move on and desire the same thing for themselves. Conversely, if one co-parent has a strong desire to fix the marriage, the other may feel guilty for desiring a new relationship.

I would be interested to see how many divorced couples end up back together. Is it possible that they’re merely attracted to their perceived image of what being single is like? Perhaps, some marriages fall victim to the deceptive nature of desire. After all, marriage, like love, seems to attempt to contain and control desire. This leaves a very fertile breeding ground for illusions of the splendor of ‘the other side’ or being single. How many, if any, people get out of their marriage and realize that the illusion is nothing like the reality?

“Love and Friendship: The Platonic Sources of Postmodern Politics”

“Love and Friendship: The Platonic Sources of Postmodern Politics”

Catherine Borck, Assistant Professor of Politics and Government, University of Hartford

The relationship that Professor Borck was describing between friend and enemy seemed reminiscent of the relationship that we explored between love and desire last semester. The enemy is the antithesis of a friend just as desire is the antithesis of love. The flip side of this duality, as Schmitt philosophized, is that you cannot know your friends without knowing your enemies, much like you cannot evaluate love independently of desire.

I am not in the least way knowledgeable about philosophy, so I will tread carefully in this arena. It seems like Schmitt heavily relied on the friend enemy antithesis to keep the political structure stable – in the absence of this dichotomy, he believes there would be anarchy. Similarly, we rely on desire as a tool for motivation to move forward on both a personal and societal level. If every desire were fulfilled, what would be the purpose of advancement? Although his philosophy about friendship is rigid and unaccommodating, I can see merit in his logic.

My personal school of thought lies most closely with Plato’s teachings. Although Derrida’s philosophy is attractive to the idealistic portion of my mind, there are far too many uncontrollable human elements to predict the feasibility of an operational society without enmity. I think in some ways, Derrida overestimates the kindly nature of humans. Schmitt, on the other hand, seems to underestimate the natural, overwhelming draw to others. The friend enemy antithesis does not leave very much space for the emotional being to flourish. This is another point that the two converge on – the biggest barrier to their philosophies naturally taking hold is the unpredictability of the human element. Plato’s point of view, to me, is more logical and intuitive than Derrida or Schmitt.

Last semester, we spoke of the self being defined by what it is lacking, rather than what it is possessing. This sense of lacking is also a contributing factor in friendship. If there is a deficiency, the desire to erase it will cause individuals to seek out friends who have the thing that they are deficient in. In this way, we let human nature take the wheel in choosing friends and relational partners.