According to William Kerrigan, “men have trouble getting love and desire to mate in their souls.” Drawing insights from English Renaissance literature, he warns against self-congratulating modernity and argues for an integrated vision of woman. Kerrigan comments on men’s dual perception of women, which may result in male sexual disillusionment and postcoital depression. He comments on the influence of feminism, and the challenges of male sexuality. He presents models of marriage that appear to heal the fracture of love and desire, drawing from the Bible and the writing of Sigmund Freud.
At the time of the interview, Kerrigan was professor of English at the University of Maryland.
This edition of Soundings was conducted by Wayne J. Pond.
