Love Stories: Language, Private Love, and Public Romance in Georgia (Teaching Culture: UTP Ethnographies for the Classroom)

In the remote highlands of the country of Georgia, a small group of mountaindwellers called the Khevsurs used to express sexuality and romance in ways that appear to be highly paradoxical. On the one hand, their practices were romantic, but could never lead to marriage. On the other hand, they were sexual, but didn't correspond to what North Americans, or most Georgians, would have called sex. These practices were well documented by early ethnographers before they disappeared completely by the midtwentieth century, and have become a Georgian obsession. In this fascinating book, Manning recreates the story of how these private, secretive practices became a matter of national interest, concern, and fantasy. Looking at personal expressions of love and the circulation of these narratives at the broader public level of the modern nation, Love Stories offers an ethnography of language and desire that doubles as an introduction to key linguistic genres and to the interplay of language and culture. 4e de couv.: In the remote highlands of the country of Georgia, a small group of mountaindwellers called the Khevsurs used to express sexuality and romance in ways that appear to be highly paradoxical. On the one hand, their practices were romantic, but could never lead to marriage. On the other hand, they were sexual, but didn't correspond to what North Americans, or most Georgians, would have called sex. These practices were well documented by early ethnographers before they disappeared completely by the midtwentieth century, and have become a Georgian obsession. In this fascinating book, Manning recreates the story of how these private, secretive practices became a matter of national interest, concern, and fantasy. Looking at personal expressions of love and the circulation of these narratives at the broader public level of the modern nation, Love Stories offers an ethnography of language and desire that doubles as an introduction to key linguistic genres and to the interplay of language and culture CONTENTS 7 List of Illustrations 10 Acknowledgments 12 Introduction: Setting the Stage for Romance 13 1 THE AMBASSADOR 35 2 SPENDING THE NIGHT TOGETHER 51 3 GOING STEADY 70 4 INVISIBLE LOVE POETRY 89 5 DEMONS, DANGER, AND DESIRE: THE “ARAGVIAN” SEXUAL REVOLUTION 107 6 INTELLIGENTSIA AND PEOPLE: A LOVE STORY 124 7 ECHOES OF LOVE LOST: SOCIALIST NOVELS AND FILMS 138 Conclusion: Virtual Romance 158 From Film to Image: Khevsurs in Late-Socialist Art 159 Virtual Romance on Georgian Teen Forums 164 Glossary 173 References 177 Index 181 Introduction : Setting The Stage For Romance -- The Ambassador -- Spending The Night Together -- Going Steady -- Invisible Love Poetry -- Demons, Danger, And Desire : The Aragvian Sexual Revolution -- Intelligentsia And People : A Love Story -- Echoes Of Love Lost : Socialist Novels And Films. Paul Manning. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 143-145) And Index. Issued Also In Electronic Format.