Betrayals
The Unpredictability of Human Relations
While most attempts to study betrayal only consider its moral or psychological dimensions, Gabriella Turnaturi here examines betrayal as an act embedded in social relationships whose meanings change over time. For example, adultery is one of the most recognizable forms of betrayal, but a wide gulf exists between its role in Madame Bovary and in The Ice Storm. Therefore, Turnaturi contends, in order to examine the many meanings of betrayal we need to understand its context in a specific time and place. Born from the unpredictable possibilities of human interaction, betrayal emerges as a sociological event in this thought-provoking meditation on the stab in the back.
“This is a profound meditation on the various meanings and modalities of betrayal. Turnaturi builds a very strong case for betrayal as ubiquitous, complicated, and fundamentally sociological. The book includes in its grasp issues that range from human intimacy and secrecy, to group membership, the concept of a 'we,' and human autonomy. Along the way she offers many cogent insights in clear writing—I was won over by this provocative and original book.”—Robin Wagner-Pacifici, Swarthmore College
Introduction
Chapter 1: Betrayals
Chapter 2: Living with Betrayal
Chapter 3: Betrayal as Everyday Experience
Chapter 4: Secrets and Betrayals
Chapter 5: The Culture of Betrayal: From the Tudors to the Internet
Notes
Index
Literature and Literary Criticism: General Criticism and Critical Theory
Psychology: Personality
Religion: Religion and Society
Sociology: Social Institutions | Social Psychology--Small Groups | Sociology--Marriage and Family
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