Love Stories

Paul Manning is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Trent University and former editor of the Journal of Linguistic Anthropology.

• List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction: Setting the Stage for Romance A Brief Introduction to Khevsur Love Well, Did They, or Didn't They? Georgian Stereotypes about Khevsurs and "the Romance of the Mountains" Language and Desire: Genres and Practices The Khevsurs in History Plan of the Book 1. THE AMBASSADOR The Elchi as Mediator Autonomy, Persuasion, and Desire The Elchi at Work: A Girl's First Night of Sts'orprobaConversation 1: The Elchi and the Girl Conversation 2: The Elchi and the Boy Conversation 3: The Elchi and the Mother 2. SPENDING THE NIGHT TOGETHER Lying Down and Getting Up: Sociable Talk and Sociable Sexuality Intimate Contact: Prohibition and TransgressionBoundary: Sex Boundary: Marriage Sociability and Obligation The Role of Different Genres 3. GOING STEADY The Social Life of Vodka Going with Vodka Visiting Vodka Road Vodka The Sexual Life of Vodka Stealing Vodka Saving and Hiding Vodka Drinking Vodka From Casual to Durable Sexual Relations:Sts'orperis and Dzmobilis The Dzmobili Relationship and Its Rivals Night and Day Creating and Maintaining Durable Relationships over Time Creating the Relationship: Oaths and Hints Maintaining the Relationship: Waiting and Exchange 4. INVISIBLE LOVE POETRY The Invisibility of Khevsur Love Poetry: The Absence of the Lyric Mode Articulating Desire in Pshavian Lyric The Erasure of Desire in Khevsur Love Poetry Anonymity: Erasure of the Author of Love Poetry Replacing Individual Desire with Desirability in Praise Poetry 5. DEMONS, DANGER, AND DESIRE: THE "ARAGVIAN" SEXUAL REVOLUTION Scandal Narratives Russian MarriageThe Aragvian Way of Love Khevsur Girls' Love Stories: Three Case Studies Mariemi's Story Nanuk'i's Story Ashekali's Story 6. INTELLIGENTSIA AND PEOPLE: A LOVE STORY Genres of Realism and Romance The Story of Natela: A Khevsur Romance of the Nineteenth Century The Story of Natela: A Native Ethnographer of the Twentieth Century 7. ECHOES OF LOVE LOST: SOCIALIST NOVELS AND FILMS Socialist Ethnographies Modernist Novels Socialist Films Modernity and Tradition: Frame Narrative and Framed Narrative Romance, Poetry, and Violence Echoes of Sts'orproba Conclusion: Virtual Romance From Film to Image: Khevsurs in Late-Socialist Art Virtual Romance on Georgian Teen Forums Glossary ReferencesIndex

Love Stories is a highly readable and interesting ethnography that will captivate the imagination of its readers as it has Georgian intellectuals. Accessible to undergraduates as an introduction to ethnography, it will also stimulate those interested in kinship, love poetry, socialism and post-socialism, queer anthropology and the history of anthropology. - Anthropology News Love Stories contains an abundance of translated examples; in the case of poetry, the Khevsur Georgian original is also provided (in transliteration). In addition to their informational and aesthetic value, the textual materials find use as pedagogical resources to illustrate concepts such as genre, sociability and performativity. - Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute Although of interest to scholars of post-socialism, the Caucasus, and linguistics, the book is that much sought-after, brief, jargonless, and vividly written ethnographic introduction to anthropological 'intersections' that brings together a variety of classical anthropological topics, all in about 140 pages. - Anthropologica This would be a great book to use with students. It is an enjoyable read about a topic that they can relate to. Manning's discussions of applications ranging from commercials and movies to Internet chat rooms would interest students being introduced to folklore or anthropology in a specific context. - Erik Aasland (Journal of American Folklore) Manning's book is a highly recommendable and enjoyable read. This is not only because of its enticing topic and the eloquent writing style, but also because Manning's treatment and sociohistorical contextualization of the stories of Khevsur love is eye-opening and thought-provoking. - Lian Malai Madsen (Journal of Linguistic Anthropology)