A History of Celibacy: From Athena to Elizabeth I, Leonardo da Vinci, Florence Nightingale, Gandhi, and Cher

504 Pages·1999·31.05 MB·English

by  Elizabeth Abbott

From Athena to Elizabeth I
FI orence Night i nga I e
Gandhi, & Cher
U.S. $3o.oo
This surprise bestseller from Canada
traces the groups and individuals who are
part of a timeless phenomenon that
transcends culture and religion.
J
oan of Arc was one. So was Sir Isaac Newton. A
monk vows to be one. A prisoner has no choice.
History tells of many avowed celibates, and today’s
society reflects a renewed interest in celibacy. But
what caused—and still causes—people to give up
sex, the very activity that drives, fascinates, trou¬
bles, and delights the rest of us?
Elizabeth Abbott’s spirited and provocative
exploration of celibacy debunks the traditionally
held notion that celibacy is a predominantly
religious concept of little concern to the secular
world. With myriad examples, Ahbott’s lively
histoiy reveals insights not only about our religious
practices but also about our sexual desires and
changing attitudes toward gender and physical
health.
From the vestal virgins of ancient Rome, who
were entombed alive if they broke their vows,
to contemporary athletes, who "conserve semen’’
to enhance their game, from celibacy as a guaran¬
tee for marriage to involuntary celibacy among
prisoners, eunuchs, and young women cloistered
against their will, Abbott puts a human face on
celibacy, capturing the anguish of the castrated
boy destined for an operatic career, the ecstasy of
(continued on hack flap)

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Also by Elizabeth Abbott
Haiti: The Duvaliers and Their Legacy
Elizabeth Abbott
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Copyright © 1999, 2000 by Elizabeth Abbott
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
First Scribner edition 2000
Originally published in Canada by HarperCollins Publishers, Ltd.
SCRIBNER and design are trademarks of Macmillan Library Reference, USA,
used under license by Simon & Schuster, the publisher of this work.
DESIGNED BY ERICH ROBBING
Set in Adobe Garamond
Manufactured in the United States of America
13579 10 8642
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Abbott, Elizabeth.
A history of celibacy : from Athena to Elizabeth I, Leonardo da Vinci,
Florence Nightingale, Gandhi, and Cher / Elizabeth Abbott. —1st Scribner ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Celibacy—History. I. Title.
HQ800.15.A22 2000
306.73'2’09—dc21 99-087803
ISBN 0-684-84943-7
Excerpts from The Body and Society by Peter Brown, © 1988 Columbia University Press,
are reprinted with the permission of the publisher.
Excerpts from Church Fathers, Independent Virgins by Joyce E. Salisbury,
Verso London 1991, are reprinted with the permission of the publisher.
Excerpts from Ovid, “Amores,” in Diane J. Rayor and William W. Batshaw (Eds.),
Latin Lyric and Elegiac Poetry: An Anthology of New Translations, Garland Publishing 1995,
are reprinted with the permission of the publisher.
Excerpts from Untold Sisters: Hispanic Nuns in their Own Works, Electa Arenal
and Stacey Schau (Eds.) (translated by Amanda Powell), University of New Mexico Press 1989,
are reprinted by permission of Electa Arenal.
Excerpts from Three Plays by Aristophanes, translated by Jeffrey Henderson, Routledge 1996, are
reprinted with the permission ofTaylor & Francis/Routledge, Inc.
To Yves Fierre-Louis
For his gift of precious friendship
Through the best of times and the worst of times
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2018 with funding from
Kahle/Austin Foundation
https://archive.0rg/details/historyofcelibacOOOOabbo