Glossary:
City of Eros,

Chapter 1

Carnal:

Panic of 1837: a financial crisis in the United States that led to a major recession lasting until he mid-1840s. Profits, prices, wages plummeted while unemployment soared.

telling: (adjective) having a striking or revealing effect; significant

Spatial: of or relating to space

Courtesan: a prostitute, especially one with wealthy or upper-class clients.

Antebellum: occurring or existing before a particular war, especially the American Civil War

Rhetoric: language designed to have a persuasive or impressive effect on its audience, but often regarded as lacking in sincerity or meaningful content

Hyperbole: exaggerated statements or claims

Tenement: a room or a set of rooms--generally crowded and poorly maintained--forming a separate residence within a house or block of apartments, particularly in poorer neighborhoods

Ethos: the character of a specific place, culture, person, or movement

Dearth: a scarcity or lack of something

Sociology: generally sociology means "the scientific study of social behavior" but here the author means the differing social conditions of various neighborhoods in New York City