The pursuit of serenity : Havelock Ellis and the New Politics

Chris Nottingham

Havelock Ellis's reputation has been in free fall since his death in 1939. Though still acknowledged as a pioneer in the study of human sexuality, he now attract hostility from those he would have considered his natural heirs. While there is no need to set Ellis back on his pedestal, it is clear that recent interpretations have failed to take account of the times in which he wrote and have underestimated the breadth of his contribution to progressive thought on both sides of the Atlantic." "Chris Nottingham examines these neglected areas considering Ellis as public health enthusiast, penal reformer, campaigner for internationalism, and promoter of the works of Ibsen and Nietzsche, as well as reinterpreting his better-known works on gender and human sexuality. He argues that behind the apparent variety was a unifying vision that was reinforced in the generational movement which swept through London in the 1880s. It was this movement which enabled Ellis to take the first steps in a career which was to lead to international fame and notoriety.