I often wonder what inspires an author to write on a particular topic, what is it that ignited that initial spark that launched the adventure of a new book? For The Sensitive Son, by Myron Tuman, this was certainly no exception. After being initially drawn to the classical artwork gracing the cover and a subject area I’ve come to know well over many years I felt compelled to read this book as an author is compelled to write it.
In The Sensitive Son, Myron Tuman takes us on a rather personal quest exploring the attitudes of some of the most famous authors over the past three hundred years towards their own feminine ideals, mostly that of their mothers. However, within the pages of The Sensitive Son are the extremely personal lives of the authors detailed within its pages, some of which are certainly surprising to anyone unaware of the personal lives of such notables as Marcel Proust, Sigmund Freud or Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who much of the book is centred upon from his own relationship with feminine mother figures.
The research that has resulted in The Sensitive Son is quite staggering however, unlike some academic writings, Tuman delivers an approach which not only draws the reader in but keeps them intrigued and entertained throughout. The Sensitive Son is certainly a book that kept me wondering through every page.
• The Sensitive Son and the Feminine Ideal in Literature by Myron Tuman is published by Palgrave Macmillan (£49.99). To order a copy go to www.palgrave.com
Tom Stanger
Founder and Editor of Pilgrim House, currently undertaking a research degree at Bangor University and working on a book on Folklore and early Welsh Christianity. Tom’s other work on music, poetry, health along other writings and images can be found at tomasstanger.com
