Love Three

by Aaron Kunin

Love Three  is a study of a seventeenth-century devotional poem by George Herbert; an essay on eroticizing power; and a memory palace of sexual experiences, fantasies, preferences, and limits―with Herbert’s poem as the key. It is unlike anything you have ever read―a deep, attentive reading of a text and a broad analysis (personal, historical, philosophical) of humanity’s most enduring theme.

Genres: Poetry

346 pages, Paperback

First published May 7, 2019

Reviews

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

You might be fascinated by this or feel incredibly put off and repelled by it. Don't treat it as purely academic, nor purely personal. All the pieces obliquely come together to create something very generative. It is a series of fractals extending out from a single Herbert poem, consisting of an academic close reading, but also a psychoanalytic textual study of childhood memories (real or imagined), and a thoughtful exploration of BDSM. Maybe it could have benefitted from being a bit shorter, hemmed in a bit. But stars for originality. If someone tells you that it is unlike anything you've ever read before they are right.

[Ben Bush]

Read this for a class with Maggie Nelson. This was interesting! An analysis of a 17th century Christian love poem by George Herbert that asks what a sub's-eye view of power might teach us. The most interesting section, to me, dealt with Elias Canetti's Crowds and Power, making explicit the link to political power. how can the pleasure being dominated teach us about it. Each chapter, more or less, returns to that same initial 17c poem to view it in a new way. Large font, quick read :)

[Saige · Rating 5 out of 5]

It felt like this book dug hooks into my fucking body and pulled for all 300-something pages. There's really nothing I can say to explain how completely absorbed, enthralled, and enamoured I was while reading this. I think I need to go read every poem Herbert ever wrote.

[Juan José · Rating 5 out of 5]

jamas espere que en el estudio de un poema de amor católico hablaran tanto de sexo y pornografia, yet enlightening. Kunin dice, y le creo, que su interpretación del poema es un secreto.

[Kailah Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling exploration of the erotic nature of power.

[Ishani S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Christ what a train wreck

[Jem]

Hmm...

I have a friend who is constantly revising a dream-syllabus for a dream-class called The Cancelled. Avital Ronell featured heavily, when we first talked about it (lol). Perhaps this book would be a good addition.

:)

[Jared Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

How does anyone know what my pornography looks like? One of our legal definitions of pornography is that you know it when you see it. But you really don't know.

[Gerard CL · Rating 5 out of 5]

A personal surprise of this 2022. A book full of sincerity.