Utilising both Freudian and non-Freudian psychoanalysis as well as feminist criticism, Baruch examines literary works by women and men from medieval and Romantic periods as well as cultural observations on the 20th century and how they have influenced attitudes toward love.

Utilising both Freudian and non-Freudian psychoanalysis as well as feminist criticism, Baruch examines literary works by women and men from medieval and Romantic periods as well as cultural observations on the 20th century and how they have influenced attitudes toward love. The author argues that romantic love need not be the tool of women's oppression, but contends that unacknowledged male fantasies about love can often motivate much literature by men.