The History of Corporal Punishment

Description

First published in 1968 as Flagellation by Talis Press Ltd, London The sexual aspect of corporal punishment is nowhere more evident than in the flagellant orders of the medieval church. The renunciation of sex by those joining holy orders ensured its inevitable return in another form. The beating of the penitent nuns and monks of cloistered sects - often before bishops and aristocrats - established a powerful link between sexuality and corporal punishment. The suppressed erotic nature of flogging that derives from the ambivalence of pleasure and pain is present throughout history. The pitiless beatings of the Inquisition, the tight-lipped sadism of the school system that was, and the savage brutality of service and penal life are all shadowed by this erotic rage. This fascinating book provides a shocking guide to the history and psychology of corporal punishment in all its forms, drawn from vivid first-hand accounts from medieval times up to its removal from penal and educational statutes in the twentieth century Title Copyright Contents PREFACE PART ONE: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF FLAGELLATION I: THE INHERENT CRUELTY OF MANKIND II: THE AMBIVALENCE OF PLEASURE AND PAIN III: BASIC MOTIVES: CONSCIOUS AND UNCONSCIOUS IV: THE CURATIVE AND MEDICINAL VIRTUES OF PAIN PART TWO: PENAL FLAGELLATION V: WHIPPING OF THIEVES, PROSTITUTES, ETC. VI: WHIPPING OF SLAVES AND SERVANTS VII: FLOGGING IN THE ARMY AND NAVY VIII: FLOGGING OF CHILDREN IN THE HOME AND SCHOOL PART THREE: RELIGIOUS FLAGELLATION IX: FLAGELLATION IN MONASTERIES AND NUNNERIES X: SELF-FLAGELLATION XI: THE SECT OF THE FLAGELLANTS XII: THE HOLY INQUISITION AND FLAGELLATION XIII: CONFESSORS AND FLAGELLATION PART FOUR: THE CASE FOR AND AGAINST CORPORAL PUNISHMENT XIV: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF PUNISHMENT XV: PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF WHIPPING ADULTS XVI: PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF JUVENILE BIRCHING XVII: EVILS CONNECTED WITH FLOGGING AND BIRCHING XVIII: PATHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CORPORAL PUNISHMENT XIX: SUMMING-UP THE POSITION