Abstract
Building on Robert Frost’s phrase, this chapter examines devotion in terms of ‘loyalty and love or care for someone or something’ (Cambridge Dictionary). The first half explores foundational considerations about love as devotion through clarifying (a) language and (b) various understandings of love. Devotion is viewed, first, in the context of love as a universal phenomenon that finds expression across cultures, within committed relationships, families and between parents and children. Second, devotion is discussed in relation to agape, eros and philia. ‘Robust concern’ (carefully understood) is suggested as a possible description for devotion. On that basis, devotion can also function in social life as a deeply held loyalty to a cause or organization. It can also denote a bond between animals and humans. The chapter’s second half illustrates devotion in daily life expressed in works of art using the framework of power-based relationships as in master-servant, kinship systems and social class. Such settings, found in selected modern films and literary texts (both ancient and contemporary), enable us to investigate the life-giving, ambiguous, and, finally, life-denying aspects of devotion. In the process, the various forms, benefits (and limits) of devotion emerge together with its necessary relationship to the guidance of moral wisdom.
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Notes
- 1.
Interestingly, ‘devotion’ is not amongst the contents of the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy but ‘loyalty’ is listed as too, naturally, love.
- 2.
These usages seem to be reflected in a word search in libraries covering books and journals. While not comprehensive and definitive, it suffices for our purposes here.
- 3.
There is a film version The Book of Ruth released in 2004.
- 4.
This 1989 film was based on the play of Alfred Uhry and starred Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman in the main roles.
- 5.
The Dresser (1983) is a film based on Ronald Harwood’s play of the same name starring Albert Finney and Tom Courtenay.
- 6.
The 1993 film of the same name (starring Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins) was based on this novel.
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Ryan, T. (2021). Devotion: “Being Shore to the Ocean”. In: Mayer, CH., Vanderheiden, E. (eds) International Handbook of Love. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45996-3_11
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