Immaculate Forms

\'Illuminating, thoughtful and scholarly\' FINANCIAL TIMES \'Does a fascinating job of exploring the history of women\'s bodies\' GREG JENNER \'Mind-blowing, fascinating stuff\' BBC WOMAN\'S HOUR \'Delightful, timely and critical\' CAT BOHANNON, author of EVE \'Weaves historical knowledge of medicine, anatomy, literature, art and religion into a narrative that surprises, informs, excites and frequently amuses\' ADRIAN THATCHER, author of VILE BODIES Throughout history, religious scholars, medical men and - occasionally - women themselves, have moulded thought on what \'makes\' a woman. She has been called the weaker sex, the fairer sex, the purer sex, among many other monikers. Often, she has been defined simply as \'Not A Man\'. Today, we are more aware than ever of the complex relationship between our bodies and our identities. But contrary to what some may believe, what makes a woman is a question that has always been open-ended. Immaculate Forms examines all the ways in which medicine and religion have played a gatekeeping role over women\'s organs. It explores how the womb was seen as both the most miraculous organ in the body and as a sewer; uncovers breasts\' legacies as maternal or sexual organs - or both; probes the mystery of the disappearing hymen, and asks, did the clitoris need to be discovered at all? Σελίδες: 448, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0905, Διαστάσεις: 16.4x16.4cm