Sex and the Love Life

Besides that, Man’s and Woman’s Sexual Nature are described in Chapter three and four respectively, whereby biological aspects of the male and female reproductive systems are elaborated on in detail.

The nine-page glossary (reference to image) at the end of the book gives approximately 180 short definitions of different loan words that may not be familiar to a reader that has no expertise in medicine or biology (ordered alphabetically).

In chapter 2 of his book, Fielding describes the Development of the Love Life in successive stages from childhood up until adolescence in which the child firstly expresses auto-erotic feelings towards itself.

It is pronounced that these erotic feelings in the beginning of childhood appear unconsciously and that they are expressed in the pleasure of sucking or rubbing own body parts.

Fielding begins with enlightening the reader and explains the advantages of contraception, one of which concerning a moral aspect: "a practice which increases marital happiness, which assures people of greater economic security [...] and which permits more extensive educational and cultural advantages to the fewer and better children that are born [...] is a good practice".

[6] Furthermore, he argues that the fear of pregnancy (as many women experienced at that time) would lead to marital disharmony and that contraceptive methods should be used to establish an unstressed atmosphere between married couples.

The position that is still held by the Catholic Church, namely that "Contraception is wrong because it’s a deliberate violation of the design God built into the human race, often referred to as "natural law."

He states that humans with their increasing knowledge and skills are already compassing the natural laws, for example by "using artificial light and heat, wearing clothes, [...] and doing a thousand odd other things that are commonplace and proper in our civilization [but are] unnatural".

[13] In the early 20th century contraception was increasingly favoured and accepted (see History of Birth Control) although it was still subject to the discussion if sexual intercourse was meant solely for reproduction or if it was also part of the normal love life between spouses.

[14] In his book Sex and the Love Life, Fielding clearly takes a more liberal view and promotes contraceptive methods as they would increase marital happiness and harmony.