Longing for belonging beyond belongings : the economics of Song of Songs

Abstract

The intimate and "monogamous" eroticism in the Song of Songs can be considered as a critique of economic materialism where multiple women may be "bought" in some sense or another. It is the female lover, however, who regards the lovers as belonging to each other and visualises her beloved's body as made up of precious metals and gemstones which she then owns. It therefore appears that this protest is partially self-subversive in that it equates the celebrated body with the very currency it sets out to denounce. Added to that is the body with its boundaries imaged as a building blocking out unwanted intrusions and so as expression of private property. This conflict of class psychologies might therefore contain an element of envy and the question can be asked which party is actually compensating by over-investment for unmet needs.