Location via proxy:   [ UP ]  
[Report a bug]   [Manage cookies]                

Book Review of Manning Love Stories: Language, Private Love, and Public Romance in Georgia.pdf

Journal of American Folklore, 2017
Book review of Paul Mannings's book concerning linguistic anthropological aspects of romance among an ethnic group in the country of Georgia....Read more
from the point of arranging the first one-night encounter to entering into a steady, secret rela- tionship. In chapter 1, Manning describes the process of negotiating the first encounter, which is fa- cilitated by a young, female elchi ambassador. This mediator meets with the boy and girl sep- arately, negotiating a visit by the girl to the boy's home. Here, the dialogue between the ambas- sador and the two candidates arranges the pos- sible encounter. Both the boy and the girl are expected to show restraint in their expressed interest during the initial encounter. Manning explains that this idea of restrained desire is connected with a Khevsur myth that God es- tablished their specific sexuallifeway to address the strength of desire present between the sexes from creation. 1 Chapter 2 delves into girls' clandestine night- tim e visits to boys. This encounter involves what the Khevsurs call sts'orproba (lying down and getting up). Here, casual conversation leads to casual sexuality. The night consists primarily of playful, flirtatious discourse. This free ex- change among equals involves joking and ef- forts to determine whether the encounter is being pursued out of individual interest or duty. Physical interaction is strictly delimited, with the boy as well as the girl expected to act with restraint; physical interaction during this first encounter might consist of only a slight em- brace and kiss. Chapter 3 considers the process of having a steady boyfriend-girlfriend (dzmobili) relation- ship. Khevsur youth are expected to have mul- tiple one-time encounters (sts'orproba). More durable relationships develop in the course of multiple encounters with the same person. The girl confirms the lasting nature of the relation- ship by making homemade vodka of excep- tional quality for her boy. Her decision about the relationship is decisive. She keeps this vodka for months, waiting for the occasion to give it secretly. Then, the boy enjoys the vodka with friends to celebrate his stable relationship. However, if the boy proves unfaithful, then the girl drinks the vodka with a girlfriend and la- ments her situation. Manning examines love poetry related to the vodka used to confirm the durable relationship. I found this chapter the least convincing of the three in terms of illus- trating Manning's argument that specific verbal genres are constitutive of nonlinguistic erotic genres. Manning considers Khevsur love poetry more broadly in chapter 4, examining the poetic expression of ideals of love. Manning argues that since the sexuallifeway for Khevsur youth is hidden, the circulation of love poetry about the process makes the tradition a community of practice. The women authors of such poetry show that they are honorable, self-restrained people through effective use of poetic genres and by not disclosing their names. In chapter 5, Manning analyzes a significant disruption to the tradition. At around the same period of time (1913-1917), two developments occurred. First, a group of youth in Khevsureti introduced greater freedom in the tradition of lying down and getting up, and, second, a num- ber of women announced their desire to marry their dzmobilis. According to Manning, these innovations most likely emerged from tensions within the tradition of shared sexual practices itself. In the case of women's demands to be allowed to marry their dzmobiiis, it is likely that these concerns emerged because changes in Russian law governing divorce made it more difficult to break with a spouse from a distant village. The final two chapters explore treatments of the Khevsur sexuallifeway practices in litera- ture and film. In chapter 6, Manning describes the emergence of the Georgian intelligentsia. Starting in the 1860s, an urban intelligentsia emerged in Georgia with a desire to enlighten what they considered the more backward re- gions of the nation. Manning describes the sto- ries printed in newspapers of the far-off Khevsur people from this era as "romantic real- ism:' This was followed by the eventual emer- gence of indigenous ethnographers who could describe the tradition in detail, with the most significant work done in the 1920s. At the same time, novels were written depicting Khevsur brides being brought to the city. Finally, in the 1960s, after the forced resettlement of the Khev- surs, a number of Soviet films presented a nos- talgic view of Khevsur ways and the benefits of modernity ushered in by socialism. 358 Journal of American Folklore 130 (2017) Book Reviews nels are important in the conveyance of cultural identity in restaurants. However, From Canton Restaurant to Panda Express remains a very useful work that could be profitably used in courses on foodways, ethnic and immigrant identity, and Chinese American history and life. Love Stories: Language. Private Love. and Public Romance in Georgia. By Paul Manning. (North York: University of Toronto Press, 2015. Pp. xxxiii + 157, acknowledgments, introduc- tion, glossary, references, index.) ERIK AASLAND Azusa Pacific University In Love Stories, Paul Manning effectively ex- plores the distinctive traditional sexual prac- tices of the Khevsurs, a group living in the mountains of the country of Georgia. Their tra- ditions could have easily been lost after their forced resettlement by Stalin in 1952, but their love poetry and the literature it inspired have kept the Khevsurs in the minds of the people of Georgia. Khevsur youth were expected to engage in clandestine expressions of heterosexual desire not leading to sexual intercourse with distant relatives and others from their home commu- nity. Tradition as well as a code of honor and shame set strict parameters for physical contact. Interestingly enough, those encountered in the process would not be marital candidates, since the Khevsurs traditionally married outside of their own communities. Rather than consider sexuality as an expres- sion of identity, Manning follows Deborah Cameron and Don Kulick's approach to sexual- ity as an expression of desire in Language and Sexuality (Cambridge University Press, 2003). He organizes the first three chapters, which de- scribe the sexuallifeway for Khevsur youth, by linking a verbal genre with a nonverbal genre for each chapter. He argues that "nonlinguistic erotic genres are not merely expressed or de- scribed in linguistic genres; they are created by them" (p. xxviii). Half of the book is spent ex- ploring the sexuallifeway of Khevsur youth, 359 In the conclusion, Manning explores how the Khevsur ideals of love continue to be sig- nificant to Georgians. Youth in Georgian Inter- net chat rooms reference concepts of Khevsur unrequited love as both a chaste tradition and as an approach to sexuality that comes across as progressive. One of the challenges of Manning's research is that the practices being considered are no longer carried out. The Khevsurs' distinctive approach to sexuality ended with their resettle- ment to the valley. Thus, the bulk of the data is from secondary sources, and Manning is left to work with hypothetical scenarios crafted by in- digenous ethnographers. In a standard aca- demic monograph, the initial introduction of these hypothetical scenarios would call for a lengthy excursus exploring the validity of the data being considered. However, such a long explanation may not be needed in a publication designed for undergraduate readers. Instead, Manning saves further discussion on this topic for later in the book and can then defend briefly the validity of the descriptions. One of Manning's accomplishments is that he shows the variety that can be achieved within heterosexuallifeways. By taking Cameron and Kulick's approach to sexuality that focuses on desire, he is able to pursue a variety of genres and show what is culturally possible in terms of both verbal and nonverbal culturally shaped expressions of desire. The monograph is shorter than a standard academic monograph on the same topic might be. This would be a great book to use with stu- dents. It is an enjoyable read about a topic that they can relate to. Manning's discussions of ap- plications ranging from commercials and mov- ies to Internet chat rooms would interest students being introduced to folklore or anthro- pology in a specific context. The book will be of interest to folklorists, linguistic and cultural anthropologists, and stu- dents. Manning is to be commended for writing an ethnography that allows readers to enter a lost culture that continues to capture the imag- inations of contemporary Georgians. His argu- ment that verbal genres are constitutive of nonverbal genres of sexuality is worthy of fur- ther consideration.
Jo u rn a l o f A m erica n 358 n e ls a re im p o rta n t in th e c o n v e y a n c e o f c u ltu ra l H o w e v e r, F ro m C a n to n id e n tity in re s ta u ra n ts . R esta u ra n t to P a n d a E xp ress re m a in s u s e fu l w o rk c o u rs e s th a t c o u ld b e p ro fita b ly o n fo o d w a y s , id e n tity , e th n ic a n d C h in e s e a v e ry used in a n d im m ig ra n t A m e ric a n h is to ry and life . F o lklo re 1 3 0 (2 0 1 7 ) fro m th e p o in t o f a rra n g in g e n c o u n te r to e n te rin g d e s c rib e s th e firs t e n c o u n te r, P riv a te L ove. and in G e o rg ia . B y P a u l M a n n in g . P u b lic R o m a n c e (N o rth Y o rk : U n iv e rs ity o f T o ro n to P re s s , 2 0 1 5 . + P p . x x x iii 1 5 7 , a c k n o w le d g m e n ts , in tro d u c - tio n , g lo s s a ry , re fe re n c e s , in d e x .) U n iversity p lo re s th e d is tin c tiv e tra d itio n a l o f th e K h e v s u rs , m o u n ta in s d itio n s e ffe c tiv e ly a g ro u p ex- s e x u a l p ra c liv in g in th e o f th e c o u n try o f G e o rg ia . T h e ir tra - c o u ld h a v e e a s ily b e e n lo s t a fte r th e ir fo rc e d re s e ttle m e n t lo v e p o e try b y S ta lin in 1 9 5 2 , b u t th e ir a n d th e lite ra tu re k e p t th e K h e v s u rs it in s p ire d in th e m in d s have o f th e p e o p le o f G e o rg ia . K hevsur y o u th w e re e x p e c te d c la n d e s tin e e x p re s s io n s n o t le a d in g to s e x u a l in te rc o u rs e re la tiv e s a n d o th e rs n ity . T ra d itio n o f h e te ro s e x u a l a s w e ll a s a c o d e o f h o n o r e n o u g h , th o s e e n c o u n te re d tra d itio n a lly and fo r p h y s ic a l c o n ta c t. p ro c e s s w o u ld n o t b e m a rita l c a n d id a te s , th e K h e v s u rs d e s ire w ith d is ta n t fro m th e ir h o m e c o m m u - s h a m e s e t s tric t p a ra m e te rs In te re s tin g ly to e n g a g e in m a rrie d in th e s in c e o u ts id e of th e ir o w n c o m m u n itie s . o f id e n tity , C a m e ro n M a n n in g fo llo w s D e b o ra h a n d D o n K u lic k 's a p p ro a c h to s e x u a l- ity a s a n e x p re s s io n o f d e s ire in L a n g u a g e a n d S exu a lity (C a m b rid g e U n iv e rs ity P re s s , 2 0 0 3 ). e ro tic M a n n in g c o n s id e rs K hevsur lo v e p o e try u n re q u ite d b e tw e e n s a d o r a n d th e tw o c a n d id a te s s ib le e n c o u n te r. e x p e c te d is h id d e n , th e c irc u la tio n o f lo v e p o e try about lo n g e r c a rrie d o f s u c h p o e try a p p ro a c h to s e x u a lity e n d e d w ith th e ir re s e ttle - s e lf-re s tra in e d m e n t to th e v a lle y . T h u s , th e b u lk o f th e d a ta is M a n n in g th a t th is id e a o f re s tra in e d w ith a K h e v s u r d e s ire is m y th th a t G o d e s to a d d re s s p e o p le th ro u g h e ffe c tiv e u s e o f p o e tic a n d b y n o t d is c lo s in g a n a ly z e s a s ig n ific a n t to th e tra d itio n . p e rio d o f tim e (1 9 1 3 -1 9 1 7 ), fro m c re a tio n . o c c u rre d . 1 C h a p te r 2 d e lv e s in to g irls ' c la n d e s tin e n ig h t- d ig e n o u s e th n o g ra p h e rs . th e s e h y p o th e tic a l s c e n a rio s g re a te r fre e d o m in th e tra d itio n of le n g th y e x c u rs u s d a ta b e in g e x p la n a tio n d e s ig n e d fo r u n d e rg ra d u a te a n d g e ttin g u p ). H e re , c a s u a l c o n v e rs a tio n th e ir d zm o b ilis. M a n n in g s a v e s fu rth e r le a d s A c c o rd in g to c a s u a l s e x u a lity . T h e n ig h t c o n s is ts p rim a rily in n o v a tio n s o f p la y fu l, flirta tio u s w ith in th e tra d itio n d is c o u rs e . e q u a ls T h is fre e e x - in v o lv e s jo k in g a n d e f- th e ir d e s ire to m a rry to M a n n in g , th e s e m o s t lik e ly e m e rg e d fro m te n s io n s o f s h a re d s e x u a l p ra c tic e s its e lf. In th e c a s e o f w o m e n 's dem ands to b e o f th e s u c h a lo n g re a d e rs . d is c u s s io n In s te a d , o n th is to p ic fo r la te r in th e b o o k a n d c a n th e n d e fe n d b rie fly th e v a lid ity o f th e d e s c rip tio n s . O n e o f M a n n in g 's a c c o m p lis h m e n ts is th a t h e s h o w s th e v a rie ty th a t c a n b e a c h ie v e d w ith in b e in g p u rs u e d o u t o f in d iv id u a l in te re s t o r d u ty . th e s e h e te ro s e x u a llife w a y s . P h y s ic a l in te ra c tio n R u s s ia n la w g o v e rn in g w h e th e r th e e n c o u n te r is s tric tly d e lim ite d , th e b o y a s w e ll a s th e g irl e x p e c te d re s tra in t; p h y s ic a l in te ra c tio n e n c o u n te r m ig h t c o n s is t is w ith to a c t w ith d u rin g th is firs t o f o n ly a s lig h t e m - 3 c o n s id e rs th e p ro c e s s o f h a v in g a s te a d y b o y frie n d -g irlfrie n d (d zm o b ili) re la tio n - s h ip . K h e v s u r y o u th a re e x p e c te d tip le o n e -tim e e n c o u n te rs re la tio n s h ip s m u ltip le e n c o u n te rs to h a v e m u l- (sts'o rp ro b a ). M o re d e v e lo p in th e c o u rs e o f w ith th e s a m e p e rs o n . T h e e m e rg e d because d iv o rc e changes in m a d e it m o re K u lic k 's a p p ro a c h B y ta k in g C a m e ro n to s e x u a lity d e s ire , h e is a b le to p u rs u e v illa g e . a n d s h o w w h a t is c u ltu ra lly p o s s ib le o f b o th v e rb a l a n d n o n v e rb a l c u ltu ra lly s h a p e d T h e fin a l tw o c h a p te rs e x p lo re tre a tm e n ts s e x u a llife w a y p ra c tic e s tu re a n d film . In c h a p te r 6 , M a n n in g th e e m e rg e n c e o f th e G e o rg ia n of in lite ra d e s c rib e s e x p re s s io n s a c a d e m ic is s h o rte r m o n o g ra p h in th e 1 8 6 0 s , a n u rb a n in te llig e n ts ia b e . T h is w o u ld b e a g re a t b o o k to u s e w ith s tu - e m e rg e d in G e o rg ia w ith a d e s ire to e n lig h te n d e n ts . It is a n e n jo y a b le re a d a b o u t a to p ic th a t w h a t th e y c o n s id e re d th e m o re b a c k w a rd g io n s o f th e n a tio n . M a n n in g re - d e s c rib e s th e s to - th e y c a n re la te to . M a n n in g 's d is c u s s io n s p lic a tio n s ra n g in g fro m c o m m e rc ia ls ie s to In te rn e t chat ro o m s K h e v s u r p e o p le fro m th is e ra a s " ro m a n tic re a l- s tu d e n ts b e in g in tro d u c e d is m :' T h is w a s fo llo w e d b y th e e v e n tu a l e m e r- p o lo g y in a s p e c ific c o n te x t. tio n a l q u a lity th e re la tio n s h ip fo r h e r b o y . H e r d e c is io n about is d e c is iv e . S h e k e e p s th is v o d k a p rin te d in n e w s p a p e rs g e n c e o f in d ig e n o u s o f th e e th n o g ra p h e rs fa r-o ff w h o c o u ld to c e le b ra te h is s ta b le re la tio n s h ip . e ro tic g e n re s a re n o t m e re ly e x p re s s e d g irl d rin k s m e n ts th e v o d k a w ith a g irlfrie n d h e r s itu a tio n . M a n n in g to g iv e it th e n th e a n d la - e x a m in e s lo v e d e s c rib e th e tra d itio n b rid e s b e in g b ro u g h t in d e ta il, w ith th e m o s t d e p ic tin g K hevsur to th e c ity . F in a lly , in th e th a t a llo w s re a d e rs in a tio n s o f c o n te m p o ra ry s u rs , a n u m b e r m ent a nos- th a t v e rb a l th e m " (p . x x v iii). H a lf o f th e b o o k is s p e n t e x - p o e try re la te d to th e v o d k a u s e d to c o n firm th e ta lg ic v ie w o f K h e v s u r w a y s a n d th e b e n e fits o f n o n v e rb a l p lo rin g d u ra b le th e m o d e rn ity th e r c o n s id e ra tio n . re la tio n s h ip . I fo u n d th is c h a p te r u s h e re d in b y s o c ia lis m . in te re s t to fo lk lo ris ts , is to b e c o m m e n d e d 1 9 6 0 s , a fte r th e fo rc e d re s e ttle m e n t o f th e K h e v o f S o v ie t film s p re s e n te d w o u ld to fo lk lo re o r a n th ro - T h e b o o k w ill b e o f in te re s t lo s t c u ltu re th a t c o n tin u e s g e n re s of ap- and m ov- lin g u is tic a n d c u ltu ra l a n th ro p o lo g is ts , a n e th n o g ra p h y w a itin g fo r th e o c c a s io n a s ta n d a rd S ta rtin g s h ip b y m a k in g of excep- th a n o n th e s a m e to p ic m ig h t rie s vodka in te rm s o f d e s ire . T h e m o n o g ra p h in te llig e n ts ia . a v a rie ty o f g e n re s g irl c o n firm s th e la s tin g n a tu re o f th e re la tio n hom em ade and th a t fo c u s e s o n d iffic u lt to b re a k w ith a s p o u s e fro m a d is ta n t th e K h e v s u r b ra c e a n d k is s . C h a p te r c o n c e rn s tim e , n o v e ls w e re w ritte n y o u th , th e v a lid ity a llo w e d to m a rry th e ir d zm o b iiis, it is lik e ly th a t fo rts to d e te rm in e H o w e v e r, if th e b o y p ro v e s u n fa ith fu l, of K hevsur of c a ll fo r a m a y n o t b e n e e d e d in a p u b lic a tio n frie n d s th e s e x u a llife w a y w o u ld H o w e v e r, ber of w om en announced fo r e a c h c h a p te r. H e a rg u e s th a t " n o n lin g u is tic g e n re s ; th e y a re c re a te d b y e x p lo rin g c o n s id e re d . ly in g d o w n a n d g e ttin g u p , a n d , s e c o n d , a n u m - in v o lv e s aca- tw o d e v e lo p m e n ts d e n ts . M a n n in g s c rib e d in lin g u is tic In a s ta n d a rd th e in itia l in tro d u c tio n w h a t th e K h e v s u rs c a ll sts'o rp ro b a (ly in g d o w n tim e v is its to b o y s . T h is e n c o u n te r is le ft to s c e n a rio s c ra fte d b y in - d e m ic m o n o g ra p h , s ig n ific a n t w o rk d o n e in th e 1 9 2 0 s . A t th e s a m e or de- s o u rc e s , a n d M a n n in g A t a ro u n d th e s a m e F irs t, a g ro u p o f y o u th in K h e v s u re ti in tro d u c e d fro m s e c o n d a ry w o rk w ith h y p o th e tic a l th e ir n a m e s . In c h a p te r 5 , M a n n in g d is ru p tio n g e n re s s e c re tly . T h e n , th e b o y e n jo y s th e v o d k a w ith g e n re a re n o d is tin c tiv e s h o w th a t th e y a re h o n o ra b le , s c rib e th e s e x u a llife w a y a v e rb a l g e n re w ith a n o n v e rb a l c o n s id e re d o f p ra c tic e . T h e w o m e n a u th o rs in th e ir e x p re s s e d a c o m m u n ity fo r m o n th s , lin k in g b e in g o u t. T h e K h e v s u rs ' B o th th e b o y a n d th e g irl a re th e in itia l e n c o u n te r. am ong and th a t c o m e s a c ro s s O n e o f th e c h a lle n g e s o f M a n n in g 's re s e a rc h is th a t th e p ra c tic e s H e o rg a n iz e s th e firs t th re e c h a p te rs , w h ic h d e fo r K h e v s u r y o u th , b y to s e x u a lity th e p ro c e s s m a k e s th e tra d itio n th e s tre n g th o f d e s ire p re s e n t b e tw e e n th e s e x e s change In te r- of K hevsur a rra n g e s th e p o s - to s h o w re s tra in t in te re s t d u rin g th e a m b a s - a rg u e s fo r K h e v s u r y o u th c o n c e p ts how to b e s ig - lo v e a s b o th a c h a s te tra d itio n a s p ro g re s s iv e . o f id e a ls o f lo v e . M a n n in g th a t s in c e th e s e x u a llife w a y e x p lo re s n ific a n t to G e o rg ia n s . Y o u th in G e o rg ia n n e t c h a t ro o m s re fe re n c e g e n re s . m o re b ro a d ly in c h a p te r 4 , e x a m in in g th e p o e tic a v is it b y th e g irl to th e b o y 's M a n n in g id e a ls o f lo v e c o n tin u e e x p re s s io n d u ra b le R a th e r th a n c o n s id e r s e x u a lity a s a n e x p re s s io n is fa - m e e ts w ith th e b o y a n d g irl s e p - ta b lis h e d th e ir s p e c ific s e x u a llife w a y In L o ve S to ries, P a u l M a n n in g tic e s w h ic h o f n o n lin g u is tic In th e c o n c lu s io n , th e K h e v s u r c ilita te d b y a y o u n g , fe m a le elch i a m b a s s a d o r. e x p la in s AASLAND A zu sa P a cific th e p ro c e s s th a t s p e c ific v e rb a l T h is m e d ia to r c o n n e c te d E R IK o f th e th re e in te rm s o f illu s - tra tin g M a n n in g 's a rg u m e n t a s a n a p p ro a c h h o m e . H e re , th e d ia lo g u e L anguage. le a s t c o n v in c in g g e n re s a re c o n s titu tiv e In c h a p te r 1 , M a n n in g a ra te ly , n e g o tia tin g L o v e S to rie s : th e firs t o n e -n ig h t in to a s te a d y , s e c re t re la - tio n s h ip . o f n e g o tia tin g 359 B o o k R eview s a n d s tu - fo r w ritin g to e n te r a to c a p tu re th e im a g G e o rg ia n s . H is a rg u a re c o n s titu tiv e g e n re s o f s e x u a lity is w o rth y of o f fu r-