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Faramerz Dabhoiwala

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The Origins of Sex Paperback – International Edition, March 26, 2013

by Faramerz Dabhoiwala (Author)

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For most of western history, all sex outside marriage was illegal, with the church and state punishing any dissent. Between 1600 and 1800, this entire world-view was shattered by revolutionary new ideas - that consenting adults have the freedom to do what they like with their own bodies, and morality cannot be imposed by force. This groundbreaking book shows that the creation of this modern culture of sex - broadcasted and debated in a rapidly expanding universe of public media - was a central part of the Enlightenment, and helped create a new model of western civilization whose principles of equality, privacy and individual freedom last to this day.

Print length

256 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Penguin UK
Publication date

March 26, 2013
Dimensions

7.72 x 5.04 x 1.17 inches
ISBN-10

9780241955963
ISBN-13

978-0241955963
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Faramerz Dabhoiwala was born in England, grew up in Amsterdam, and was educated at York and Oxford. He is the Senior Fellow in History at Exeter College, Oxford, a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and the father of two children. This is his first book.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0241955963
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin UK (March 26, 2013)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780241955963
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0241955963
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.72 x 5.04 x 1.17 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #5,184,813 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #45,164 in Historical Study (Books)

Customer Reviews:
81

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Faramerz Dabhoiwala

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Fara Dabhoiwala teaches history at Princeton University. He grew up in Amsterdam, was educated at York and Oxford, and became a historian through a succession of happy accidents. 'The Origins of Sex' is his first book. More information can be found at his website, www.dabhoiwala.com.

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4 out of 5

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MrsEFS

Loved it

Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2020

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Very informative and well cited.

2 people found this helpful

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Andrew C. Mitchell

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2015

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good about 17th centry

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Amazon Customer

No one-night-stand - this book means busibess

Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2013

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Exuberant, entertaining and thought-provoking. And it was certainly a good conversation starter on my bus ride to and from work!

2 people found this helpful

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Saif al Islam

I was expecting a little more

Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2013

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The book is not really entertaining to read and get's sometimes boring. I was expecting a few surprising cultural insights presented in a very enjoyable manner. My expectations have no been met.

2 people found this helpful

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Vivek Tejuja

Beautifully explores sex and its revolution

Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2013

Sex should not be spoken about in our country or that's what it seems. In a country like India, where most things are taboo, the one that tops the list is sex and its talk. Sex I think on a very generic level has been taboo in most countries and most places before they woke up and were so-called "liberated" by the idea of talking about it and not being ashamed or shy. At the same time, it is all about the action and ironically so as I was reading "The Origins of Sex" by Faramerz Dabhoiwala I was amazed at what happened in the fifteenth century to those who had sex outside the marriage and also without being married. The revelation at times was so much to handle and yet the book is so relevant for our times (in some parts).

"The Origins of Sex" is not an easy read. At the same time, it is not difficult either. One has to shed all inhibitions while reading, more so because of the anecdotes. The reason I say this is I remember last month when attending the Jaipur Literature Festival, one of the sessions was by Faramerz Dabhoiwala who spoke for an hour about sex and how it was treated in the Western culture till sexual revolution came to being. At one point he spoke of something highly relevant to men those times - a kind of club where they would meet and ejaculate together after being aroused by either maids or prostitutes. By the end of this anecdote, some of the people sitting in the crowd were gob smacked and almost uttered, "Gross" and booed a little as well. This from a crowd where one would assume that everyone was sexually liberated (or so we think).

The book delves deep in the times that led to the revolution and post the revolution as well. It ends briefly at the Victorian Era and though he tries to speak about it a little in the twenty-first century, however I think Faramerz needs to come out with another book of this nature, because it is much needed. The book is divided into six parts and each part is unique and wonderfully researched. My favourite parts are the ones where he talks of sexual celebrities in those times (one of whom is on the cover of the book), the explosion of print, of how men and women were coexisting then and but of course the parts of homosexuality and its importance in a world where sex was condemned, and meant only for procreation, if the parties were married and never for pleasure.

The writing is precise and funny in most parts and as you read along you realize that sexual suppression and its punishment was so severe and totally not needed, so in the sense, some funny parts become ironical and maybe intended to be this way. Faramerz is a brilliant writer and I could not believe that this was his first book, because the writing is experienced and as I said very-well researched which is most needed for a non-fiction work. This book made me see how it all began when it came to sex and how regressive we get day by day in this time and age, despite calling ourselves modern and with forward-thought. My best moments with the book have been reading it either on the train or the bus and getting curious glances from men and women. This just goes to show how we treat sex in our country - no matter what the medium. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone this month. A refreshing read for sure.

7 people found this helpful

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Kevin Nadel

Eye opening!!

Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2021

A very well researched and informative overview of an important aspect of our social history. It describes how sex was regarded and dealt with from ancient times to the early modern era. It explains how we got from extreme repression to sexual freedom to fear of excess.

2 people found this helpful

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Virginia Bruce

very scholarly

Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2013

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I haven't read this yet, but I plan to, but it is thick and scholarly. I didn't expect porn, but I thought it might be a little more accessible.

2 people found this helpful

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david l. poremba

engaging read

Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2012

When one thinks or hears about the first sexual revolution, one quickly focuses on the mid-1960's - 1970's and all that decade or so entailed. But the first sexual revolution discussed here is the history of changing ideas about sexual freedom from 1600 to 1800; the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. By 1900, attitudes towards sex had changed drastically from an event punishable by death to a culture of sexual openness that found the doings of noted whores and notorious rakes on the pages of every newspaper. As the libertine ages moved into the early nineteenth century, the Victorians put a stop to such behavior and sexual freedom practically disappeared in an age of put-on, repression and double standards for both men and women.
Oxford historian Dabhoiwala has produced a well-researched, finely written book about sexual behavior and misbehavior, both of which are full of memorable characters and anecdotes. It was a period of time that produced the idea of the distinction between public and private, the lines of which are still hotly contested to this day.
Although The Origins of Sex focuses on the English, there are many parallels that can be seen on the subject on this side of the Atlantic Ocean. For example, it was in Boston, Massachusetts, where a man admitted he tried to have sex with an eighteen year old girl, admittedly while drunk; she was arrested and both were publicly hung - and that was in 1644.

3 people found this helpful

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H.Sequoia

Interesante pero con espacios en blanco

Reviewed in Spain on November 8, 2016

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El tema que trata es interesantísimo, pero sigo encontrando espacios en blanco que el autor debería haber rellenado. Me refiero por ejemplo a la situación de las lesbianas de la época que estudia. El libro se centra en exceso en los hombres (como siempre ocurre).

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Suresh S Pingale

Five Stars

Reviewed in India on August 30, 2015

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Wonderfully educating research.

MemeBuendia

Very interesting and well researched

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 30, 2013

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I found this book extremely interesting, and I learned many things from it I didn't know.
The history of the sexual revolution is fascinating, and the author does a great job of following through from the olden times to modern times so that you can track how we ended up in this still confusing culture.

I highly recommend it if you are interested in history, feminism, or if you just want to learn something new.

One person found this helpful

Devere Wolfe

History for our generation?

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 25, 2013

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When I first saw this book in Waterstones I thought that there had been a very through research made of the subject. What became clear withing a few pages is that the 'young' think they invented sex i.e. the 60's and so on. this is obviously not the case and for hundreds of years people have been enjoying the discovery of sex in it's varying forms. There are some aspects of 'modern' sexual practice that remain questionable. The Victorians are held up as being prudish and prime and proper in all their dealings with one and other - do not believe that for a minute. Firstly they were human and humans have their instincts and desires just like any other preceeding life forms.
This book beautifully highlights the wonder that was and is sex for all to enjoy rather than decry it as something to be tolerated. Men have been advised through the ages, certainly since the ninth century that woman tolerated sex and lay back and thought of England in Victorian times - rubbish. This book debunks that myth one and for all - woman enjoy sex as much as men, and good luck to them too. For any serious scholar of the subject I would recommend this book.

One person found this helpful

C.T. Onions

A superb book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 23, 2013

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One of the best academic books I have ever read, and certainly the most enjoyable and consistently impressive work of history I have read. The style is elegant and exact, the argument is constructed with great lucidity from a wealth of research, and the perspective manages to appear admirably objective and sane, but also progressive and on behalf of happiness.

One person found this helpful

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The Origins of Sex Paperback – International Edition, March 26, 2013

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