Love Stories: Language, Private Love, and Public Romance in Georgia / Edition 1

by Paul Manning

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442608962
Publisher:	University of Toronto Press, Higher Education Division
Publication date:	05/15/2015
Series:	Teaching Culture: UTP Ethnographies for the Classroom Series
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Paul Manning is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Trent University and former editor of the Journal of Linguistic Anthropology.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Setting the Stage for Romance



A Brief Introduction to Khevsur Love

Well, Did They, or Didn't They?

Georgian Stereotypes about Khevsurs and "the Romance of the Mountains"

Language and Desire: Genres and Practices

The Khevsurs in History

Plan of the Book



1. THE AMBASSADOR

The Elchi as Mediator

Autonomy, Persuasion, and Desire

The Elchi at Work: A Girl's First Night of Sts'orproba

Conversation 1: The Elchi and the Girl

Conversation 2: The Elchi and the Boy

Conversation 3: The Elchi and the Mother



2. SPENDING THE NIGHT TOGETHER

Lying Down and Getting Up: Sociable Talk and Sociable Sexuality

Intimate Contact: Prohibition and Transgression

Boundary: Sex

Boundary: Marriage

Sociability and Obligation

The Role of Different Genres



3. GOING STEADY

The Social Life of Vodka

Going with Vodka

Visiting Vodka

Road Vodka

The Sexual Life of Vodka

Stealing Vodka

Saving and Hiding Vodka

Drinking Vodka

From Casual to Durable Sexual Relations:

Sts'orperis and Dzmobilis

The Dzmobili Relationship and Its Rivals

Night and Day

Creating and Maintaining Durable Relationships over Time

Creating the Relationship: Oaths and Hints

Maintaining the Relationship: Waiting and Exchange



4. INVISIBLE LOVE POETRY

The Invisibility of Khevsur Love Poetry: The Absence of the Lyric Mode

Articulating Desire in Pshavian Lyric

The Erasure of Desire in Khevsur Love Poetry

Anonymity: Erasure of the Author of Love Poetry

Replacing Individual Desire with Desirability in Praise Poetry



5. DEMONS, DANGER, AND DESIRE: THE "ARAGVIAN" SEXUAL REVOLUTION

Scandal Narratives

Russian Marriage

The Aragvian Way of Love

Khevsur Girls' Love Stories: Three Case Studies

Mariemi's Story

Nanuk'i's Story

Ashekali's Story



6. INTELLIGENTSIA AND PEOPLE: A LOVE STORY

Genres of Realism and Romance

The Story of Natela: A Khevsur Romance of the Nineteenth Century

The Story of Natela: A Native Ethnographer of the Twentieth Century



7. ECHOES OF LOVE LOST: SOCIALIST NOVELS AND FILMS

Socialist Ethnographies

Modernist Novels

Socialist Films

Modernity and Tradition: Frame Narrative and Framed Narrative

Romance, Poetry, and Violence

Echoes of Sts'orproba



Conclusion: Virtual Romance



From Film to Image: Khevsurs in Late-Socialist Art

Virtual Romance on Georgian Teen Forums



Glossary

References

Index

What People are Saying About This

Deborah Cameron

This story opens up questions not only about sex, romance, language, politics, and history, but also about what we know and how we come to know it. It's the kind of book instructors are always on the lookout for: a sophisticated treatment of a complex subject, which is also a compelling read.

Don Kulick

Take a walk on the mild side, with some crazy twists. Love Stories is about how bossy matchmakers, stolen vodka, poetic jousting, and careful unbuttonings on narrow beds add up to a romantic relationship that is the opposite of sex and the opposite of marriage. Unexpected, compelling, unsettling, and fun.

Laura Miller

Paul Manning's splendid account exemplifies the best of social science description and analysis. He takes us along on a captivating journey through the stages of poetically ritualized romance and coupling, revealing much about Georgian history and culture along the way. Beyond introducing us to the Khevsur people and disrupting simplistic thinking about romance and desire, the book masterfully gives life to some core ideas in anthropology, sociology, and linguistics.

Editorial Reviews

Love Stories contains an abundance of translated examples; in the case of poetry, the Khevsur Georgian original is also provided (in transliteration). In addition to their informational and aesthetic value, the textual materials find use as pedagogical resources to illustrate concepts such as genre, sociability and performativity.

Love Stories is a highly readable and interesting ethnography that will captivate the imagination of its readers as it has Georgian intellectuals. Accessible to undergraduates as an introduction to ethnography, it will also stimulate those interested in kinship, love poetry, socialism and post-socialism, queer anthropology and the history of anthropology.

Although of interest to scholars of post-socialism, the Caucasus, and linguistics, the book is that much sought-after, brief, jargonless, and vividly written ethnographic introduction to anthropological 'intersections' that brings together a variety of classical anthropological topics, all in about 140 pages.

Manning's book is a highly recommendable and enjoyable read. This is not only because of its enticing topic and the eloquent writing style, but also because Manning's treatment and sociohistorical contextualization of the stories of Khevsur love is eye-opening and thought-provoking.

This would be a great book to use with students. It is an enjoyable read about a topic that they can relate to. Manning's discussions of applications ranging from commercials and movies to Internet chat rooms would interest students being introduced to folklore or anthropology in a specific context.

From the Publisher

Love Stories is a highly readable and interesting ethnography that will captivate the imagination of its readers as it has Georgian intellectuals. Accessible to undergraduates as an introduction to ethnography, it will also stimulate those interested in kinship, love poetry, socialism and post-socialism, queer anthropology and the history of anthropology.

Anthropology News

Love Stories contains an abundance of translated examples; in the case of poetry, the Khevsur Georgian original is also provided (in transliteration). In addition to their informational and aesthetic value, the textual materials find use as pedagogical resources to illustrate concepts such as genre, sociability and performativity.

Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute

Although of interest to scholars of post-socialism, the Caucasus, and linguistics, the book is that much sought-after, brief, jargonless, and vividly written ethnographic introduction to anthropological 'intersections' that brings together a variety of classical anthropological topics, all in about 140 pages.

Anthropologica

Manning's book is a highly recommendable and enjoyable read. This is not only because of its enticing topic and the eloquent writing style, but also because Manning's treatment and sociohistorical contextualization of the stories of Khevsur love is eye-opening and thought-provoking.

Journal of Linguistic Anthropology - Lian Malai Madsen

This would be a great book to use with students. It is an enjoyable read about a topic that they can relate to. Manning's discussions of applications ranging from commercials and movies to Internet chat rooms would interest students being introduced to folklore or anthropology in a specific context.

Journal of American Folklore - Erik Aasland