{"product_id":"9781623568719","title":"The Vagina: A Literary and Cultural History","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eThe Vagina: A Literary and Cultural History\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Emma L. E. Rees\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom \u003ci\u003eSouth Park\u003c\/i\u003e to Kathy Acker, and from Lars Von Trier to \u003ci\u003eSex and the City\u003c\/i\u003e, women's sexual organs are demonized. Rees traces the fascinating evolution of this demonization, considering how calling the ‘c-word' \u003ci\u003eobscene\u003c\/i\u003e both legitimates and perpetuates the fractured identities of women globally. Rees demonstrates how writers, artists, and filmmakers contend with the dilemma of the vagina's puzzlingly ‘covert visibility'.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn our postmodern, porn-obsessed culture, vaginas appear to be everywhere, literally or symbolically but, crucially, they are as silenced as they are objectified. \u003ci\u003eThe Vagina: A Literary and Cultural History\u003c\/i\u003e examines the paradox of female genitalia through five fields of artistic expression: literature, film, TV, visual, and performance art.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere is a peculiar paradox – unlike any other – regarding female genitalia. Rees focuses on this paradox of what is termed the ‘covert visibility' of the vagina and on its monstrous manifestations. That is, what happens when the female body refuses to be pathologized, eroticized, or rendered subordinate to the will or intention of another? Common, and often offensive, slang terms for the vagina can be seen as an attempt to divert attention away from the reality of women's lived sexual experiences such that we don't ‘look' at the vagina itself – slang offers a convenient distraction to something so taboo. \u003ci\u003eThe Vagina: A Literary and Cultural History\u003c\/i\u003e is an important contribution to the ongoing debate in understanding the feminine identity\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The broadest survey yet ....lively, thought-provoking, and richly researched.” —Naomi Wolf, author of Vagina: A New Biography\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“At last! A book on the vagina that I feel privileged to endorse. This careful literary and cultural history explores the vagina primarily as a loaded cultural symbol. It critiques the numerous ways in which the female sexual organs have had deleterious meanings projected onto them by patriarchal society. A magnificent achievement, Rees's study is as insightful in its analysis as it is comprehensive in its historical coverage.” —Lisa Downing, Professor of French Discourses of Sexuality, University of Birmingham, UK\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“This really wonderful book on the cultural history of the vagina is scholarly and accessible, entertaining and serious. It is stylish and packed with insight; it will be seized upon and devoured by the new feminists. The Vagina bejazzles. I highly recommend it.” —Sally R Munt, Professor of Cultural and Gender Studies, University of Sussex\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Rees is especially strong on the rapidly evolving (and more in-your-face) artistic (or would-be artistic) representation of the [vagina] in contemporary (Western, and even here basically American and British) culture, both fringe and more mainstream...Rees offers many interesting examples and the odd tidbit[s] (Courbet's L'origine du monde comes from the collection of psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan!), and though she works more by example than evaluation, there's a lot of useful information here.” —\u003ci\u003eM.A. Orthorfer, The Complete Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Don’t be fooled by the playful pink cover—this book is not for the faint of heart. Ranging from Indian folktales of vagina dentata to the surprising popularity of vaginas in postmodern art, Rees’ book is a whirlwind tour of the literary and cultural history of the treatment (and mistreatment) of female genitalia. Helpful parenthetical asides define the more esoteric academic language. However, the casual reader may be discouraged by the overwhelmingly dense nature of the information that is presented, with regrettably minimal analysis. Still, the excellent citations and quality of the information offered will appeal to scholarly readers. Best for academic libraries.” —\u003ci\u003eRebecca Hayes, Booklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9781623568719\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Bloomsbury Academic","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":40596877344974,"sku":"9781623568719","price":40.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_19df1b66-6a6e-4934-9839-e5da890d5994.jpg?v=1637868177","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9781623568719","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}