ABSTRACT

First published in 1989, The Dialectics of Friendship explores the ideals and paradoxes of friendship against the backdrop of other relationships.

The book begins with an introduction to the subject of friendship in its historical and cultural setting. Following chapters explore the ideal of friendship in classical Greece, and the richness and ambiguities of friendship in the Christian tradition. The social dimensions of friendship are discussed, including among children, between men, between women, and between humans and animals, and the wider historical and political aspects of friendship are examined.

The Dialectics of Friendship will appeal to those with an interest in the sociology, psychology, and history of friendship, as well as psychoanalysis, literary criticism, and classics.

chapter |10 pages

Introduction

chapter Chapter One|15 pages

Friendship and the Greeks

chapter Chapter Two|19 pages

Friendship in the Christian Tradition

chapter Chapter Three|17 pages

Female Friendship

chapter Chapter Four|14 pages

Male Friends

chapter Chapter Five|16 pages

Friendship in Children's Fiction

chapter Chapter Six|19 pages

Friendship and Personal Development

chapter Chapter Seven|19 pages

Humans, Animals, and the Limits of Friendship

chapter Chapter Eight|13 pages

Friendship and the Social Order

chapter Chapter Nine|16 pages

Freud, Friendship, and Politics

chapter Chapter Ten|20 pages

The Environment of Fellowship Around 1900