Das Reich der Nairen, oder das Paradies der Liebe
Contributions
- James Henry Lawrence
- author
- Johann Friedrich Unger
- publisher
Related resources
- has translation
- The Empire of the Nairs, or, the Rights of Women: An Utopian Romance in Twelve Books translation
- has translation
- L'Empire des Nairs, ou le Paradis de l'Amour. Par le chevalier James Lawrence translation
Notes
Lawrence's novel was first published in the Journal der Romane in 1801, as 'Das Paradies der Liebe', then reprinted as 'Das Reich der Nairen'.
It received favourable reviews in the German press, unlike its later reception in England, and Lawrence later translated and quoted them to advertise his book.
From the Hamburgh Review (Nov 1801): "This is a work perfectly original, and will in many respects make a new era in European culture. The customs of almost all nations and their opinions on love and marriage are detailed in this work, but not in the manner of Barthelemy’s Anacharsis, who relates his own travels; here a poetic necessity produces the most interesting materials, and unites them in a point of view, which affords the most multifarious delight".
From the Gotha Review (Oct 1802): "The author adopts the principles of Wollstonecraft, but his plan is more extensive and consistent. He accuses marriage of being a yoke for life; he speaks with severity, but with eloquence. The intention of this Romance is to show the possibility of a nation attaining the highest degree of civilization without marriage. We are far from the author for this paradox – we confess that his work contains much truth, and that his ideas merit attention: he possesses the talent of making all the inconveniences, contradictions, and horrors of our institutions pass before our eyes – and enchains the attention by the abundance of events".