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The Mythology of Sex: An Illustrated Exploration of Sexual Customs and Practices from Ancient Times to the Present
A study examining the way in which sexual attitudes and behaviour reflect the underlying values of the time. It embraces cultural attitudes from ancient civilizations to the present day and looks at a range of topical issues and concerns, including prevailing attitudes towards masculine and feminine values.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published June 28, 1996
About the author
Sarah Dening
8 books2 followersSarah Dening is a psychotherapist, acting as a facilitator of change. Her involvement with the I Ching dates back many years during which both she and her clients have enjoyed the benefits of the different perspective it provides on everyday issues. She works with both individuals and groups and has practices in London and York.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 8, 2016
Much more history than mythology, but interesting anyway. Ms. Dening revealed herself as a Jungian about 75% of the way through the book, and everything else clicked into place for me. Putting aside the chapter where she absolutely dragged Freud, her psychoanalytic leanings were clear in that the chapters pertaining to ancient cultures and sexual excess were painstakingly constructed, whereas the chapters about repression and the modern era were brief afterthoughts. Some of them didn't even seem edited.
Despite her discernibly feminist bent through the book (and a fairly liberal use of the word "patriarchy"), in the final chapter she makes suggestions about sexual self-knowledge and acceptance, the importance of male role models and the adoption of hunter-gatherer-thematic teamwork among young men, the addition of an emotional component to sex education (LONG overdue), the dismissal of obfuscating politically correct speech, and a number of other ideas that would trigger your sociology adjunct into an aneurysm.
Overall, and despite the spots where she obviously didn't give a shit, it was a beautifully put together book full of interesting facts I will undoubtedly bring up at parties, and also full-color photographs of 3000-year-old stone boobies.
Despite her discernibly feminist bent through the book (and a fairly liberal use of the word "patriarchy"), in the final chapter she makes suggestions about sexual self-knowledge and acceptance, the importance of male role models and the adoption of hunter-gatherer-thematic teamwork among young men, the addition of an emotional component to sex education (LONG overdue), the dismissal of obfuscating politically correct speech, and a number of other ideas that would trigger your sociology adjunct into an aneurysm.
Overall, and despite the spots where she obviously didn't give a shit, it was a beautifully put together book full of interesting facts I will undoubtedly bring up at parties, and also full-color photographs of 3000-year-old stone boobies.
May 14, 2024
"An illustrated exploration of sexual customs and practices from Ancient times to the present"
A brief exploration it is, however, and only of some of the most influential/well-known cultural groups. It is, all in all, an interesting read, but it is rather surface-level (being only a bit over 200 pages this is to be expected).
From the first couple of pages it is clear that the author is a feminist and a Jungian. Not that there's anything wrong with that (to quote Seinfeld), it should be kept in mind, especially when the author talks about archetypes and myths in quite general terms that might not reflect the interpretation of the people believing in said myths.
The book is informative, but it does seem a bit uneven. There is focus on the act of circumcision in tribal societies and in Judaism and Islam, but there is no talk about the practice being common amongst American Christians. The author also seems to believe in the existence of global matriarchal societies before the patriarchal cultures appeared.
China is also mentioned as having been a goddess-worshipping culture before turning patriarchal. If it were true that so many, maybe most, societies around the world were matriarchal, what caused them to all switch to patriarchal structures roughly around the same time? This is not sufficiently explained. Another thing I disliked is how "Tribal societies" are lumped together, from Africa to the Americas, which becomes way too generalizing, and shows an outdated view on non-Western societies. Ironically, the author repeatedly mentions how much more preferable various ancient Asian views on sexuality are over those of the West (which is also presented more or less as one culture, ignoring how e.g. Scandinavia has for a long time been in the forefront of so-called sexual liberation, the "sex before coffee" culture etc.).
The author also claims that women in pre-Islamic Arabia were freer than they were post-Islam, which contradicts the claims I have read elsewhere. And since this book does not include a source list, I can not double check the source for this.
Despite this I did overall enjoy the book, and found it informative.
A brief exploration it is, however, and only of some of the most influential/well-known cultural groups. It is, all in all, an interesting read, but it is rather surface-level (being only a bit over 200 pages this is to be expected).
From the first couple of pages it is clear that the author is a feminist and a Jungian. Not that there's anything wrong with that (to quote Seinfeld), it should be kept in mind, especially when the author talks about archetypes and myths in quite general terms that might not reflect the interpretation of the people believing in said myths.
The book is informative, but it does seem a bit uneven. There is focus on the act of circumcision in tribal societies and in Judaism and Islam, but there is no talk about the practice being common amongst American Christians. The author also seems to believe in the existence of global matriarchal societies before the patriarchal cultures appeared.
The change rom a matriarchal society to a patriarchal society first appeared around the fourth milennium BC in the cultures of Sumeria, Babylon, Egypt and Greece. There the creation myths gradually changed to accomodate the inclusion of the man's role in procreation.
China is also mentioned as having been a goddess-worshipping culture before turning patriarchal. If it were true that so many, maybe most, societies around the world were matriarchal, what caused them to all switch to patriarchal structures roughly around the same time? This is not sufficiently explained. Another thing I disliked is how "Tribal societies" are lumped together, from Africa to the Americas, which becomes way too generalizing, and shows an outdated view on non-Western societies. Ironically, the author repeatedly mentions how much more preferable various ancient Asian views on sexuality are over those of the West (which is also presented more or less as one culture, ignoring how e.g. Scandinavia has for a long time been in the forefront of so-called sexual liberation, the "sex before coffee" culture etc.).
The author also claims that women in pre-Islamic Arabia were freer than they were post-Islam, which contradicts the claims I have read elsewhere. And since this book does not include a source list, I can not double check the source for this.
Despite this I did overall enjoy the book, and found it informative.
February 28, 2016
Informative, well-researched, and replete with helpful illustrations. Penned with a touch of humor, an excellent reference to sexual mythology and cultures that originated and revolved around them. An outstanding work, sure to generate a good few 'Aha' moments. Highly recommended to everyone seeking enhanced self-awareness and a deeper understanding of the human social condition.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews