The Art of Loving

Today, I’m going to recommend a book that I don’t even own (yet).  So ordering it today.  Anyway, this book:

was recommended by Jennifer Crusie in her essay “Emotionally Speaking: Romance Fiction in the Twenty-First Century”.

The psychology of the characters will dictate how and why they fall in love, and their growth as human beings will dictate whether or not the reader believes they’ll stay in love. That’s why, along with researching the genre, it’s a good idea to research the psychology, anthropology, and biology of romantic love (a good place to start is Erich Fromm’s The Art of Loving ).

The product description reads:

The renowned psychoanalyst Erich Fromm has helped millions of men and women achieve rich, productive lives by developing their hidden capacities for love. In this astonishly frank and candid book, he explores the ways in which this extraordinary emotion can alter the whole course of your life.

Most of us are unable to develop our capacities for love on the only level that really counts––a love that is compounded of maturity, self–knowledge, and courage. Learning to love, like other arts, demands practice and concentration. Even more than any other art it demands genuine insight and understanding. In this startling book, Fromm discusses love in all its aspects; not only romantic love, so surrounded by conceptions, but also love of parents for children, brotherly love, erotic love, self–love, and love of God.

I think she’s right.  This is an excellent place to start.  And Crusie writes smart books.  I’m all about that. I’ll write a review, or at least hit the high points, after I’ve read it.