Background
Robinson, Paul Arnold was born on October 1, 1940 in San Diego, California, United States. Son of Joseph Cook and Beryl Marie (Lippincott) Robinson.
(Opera and Ideas is a study of the connections between mus...)
Opera and Ideas is a study of the connections between music and intellectual history. Through lucid analysis of six operas and two song cycles, Paul Robinson shows how operas give musical and dramatic expression to ideas about the self, society, and history.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0801494281/?tag=2022091-20
( From the 1969 rebellion at Stonewall to recent battles ...)
From the 1969 rebellion at Stonewall to recent battles over same-sex marriage, Gay Liberation in the United States has always been closely associated with the political left. But in recent years, Gay Liberation has taken a dramatic turn toward the right. And gaycons, as they were once archly referred to in the Nation, have taken politics and the media by storm. New Republic columnist Andrew Sullivan, for instance, is one of the most popular bloggers on the Internet. Writer Bruce Bawer, meanwhile, is celebrated for his incisive criticism of gay culture and its connections with camp and diva worship. Queer Wars limns this new gay right, offering the first extended consideration of gay conservatism and its more trenchant critics. Here celebrated historian of gay culture Paul Robinson draws particular attention to three features of this new political movement. First, he explores how gay conservatives have rejected the idea that commitment to gay freedom should involve equal dedication to the causes of other marginalized people, be they racial minorities, women, or the poor. Second, Robinson demonstrates why gay conservatives embrace more traditional gender ideals—why they are hostile to effeminacy among men and mannishness among women. Finally, exploring the support for sexual restraint among gay conservatives, Robinson dissects their condemnation of promiscuity and their assault on behavior they deem dissolute. Timely and rich in suggestive propositions, Queer Wars will prove to be essential reading for anyone interested in gay culture and contemporary politics.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0226722007/?tag=2022091-20
( Wars against Freud have been waged along virtually ever...)
Wars against Freud have been waged along virtually every front during the past decade. Now Paul Robinson takes on three of Freud's most formidable critics, mounting a thoughtful, witty, and ultimately devastating critique of the historian of science Frank Sulloway, the psychoanalyst Jeffrey Masson, and the philosopher Adolf Grünbaum. Frank Sulloway contends that Freud took most of his ideas from Darwin and other contemporary thinkers—that he was something of a closet biologist. Jeffrey Masson charges that Freud caved in to peer pressure when he abandoned his early seduction theory (which Masson believes was correct) in favor of the theory of infantile sexuality. Adolf Grünbaum impugns Freud's claim to have grounded his ideas—especially the idea of the unconscious—on solid empirical foundations. Under Robinson's rigorous cross-examination, the evidence of these three accusers proves ambiguous and their arguments biased by underlying assumptions and ideological commitments. Robinson concludes that the anti-Freudian writings of Sulloway, Masson, and Grünbaum reveal more about their authors' prejudices—and about the Zeitgeist of the past decade—than they do about Freud. Beautifully crafted and full of surprises, Robinson's work is a compelling defense of one of history's most original and powerful minds. Freud and His Critics will earn an enduring place in the raging Freudian debate.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0520080297/?tag=2022091-20
( Opera, Sex, and Other Vital Matters gathers both classi...)
Opera, Sex, and Other Vital Matters gathers both classic and never-before-published essays from one of the leading stylists in contemporary American letters, and one of our more revered public intellectuals, Paul Robinson. Diverse and elegant, the essays in this new collection showcase the sly wit and lightly worn erudition of their author. Each celebrates art and the flesh, directing us to the twin ecstasies of music and eros. The essays on opera gathered here explore how masterpieces like Fidelio and The Magic Flute reflect the intellectual currents of their day. Be it the work of Verdi or Mozart, Wagner or Strauss, Robinson compels us to search for meaning not just in the lyrics of opera but also in the music. In melody, not libretto, we are more likely to discern key historical complexities and appreciate the way opera transcends language and time. The essays on sexuality, meanwhile, are ruminative, funny, and even moving. At one moment, Robinson measures whether homosexuality is the result of destiny or free choice. In another, he shares a touching exchange of letters with a gay student in the process of coming out. The final essays that encompass "other vital matters" find Robinson at his most incisive. Whether defending Freud as the most influential thinker of the twentieth century, attacking the dreaded use of semicolons, reflecting on his own mortality, or even meditating on the nature of cats, Sex, Opera, and Other Vital Matters is an eclectic work that will appeal to any reader interested in the continuing relevance of ideas to life.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0226721833/?tag=2022091-20
Robinson, Paul Arnold was born on October 1, 1940 in San Diego, California, United States. Son of Joseph Cook and Beryl Marie (Lippincott) Robinson.
Bachelor of Arts, Yale University, 1962; postgraduate, Free U. Berlin, 1962-1963; Doctor of Philosophy, Harvard University, 1968.
Assistant professor of history, Stanford University (California), 1967-1973; associate professor, Stanford University (California), 1973-1980; professor of history, Stanford University (California), since 1980; Richard W. Lyman professor in the humanities, Stanford University (California), since 1994.
( Opera, Sex, and Other Vital Matters gathers both classi...)
( From the 1969 rebellion at Stonewall to recent battles ...)
( Wars against Freud have been waged along virtually ever...)
(Opera and Ideas is a study of the connections between mus...)
(Book by Robinson, Paul A.)
(Will be shipped from US. Used books may not include compa...)
(Will be shipped from US. Brand new copy.)
(New copy. Fast shipping. Will be shipped from US.)
(New copy. Fast shipping. Will be shipped from US.)
Fellow American Academy Arts and Sciences. Member American History Association.
Married Ute Brosche, August 3, 1964 (divorced August 1967). 1 child, Susan Marie. Life partner Stephen Dunatov.