Hystories: Hysterical Epidemics and Modern Culture

Description

Showalter explores the integral components of hysteria and identifies the disorder as being more universal than it is stereotypically known. Instead of the assumption that hysteria largely roots from the Victorian sexual repression and is commonly a female disorder, Showalter recognises parallels with other contemporary forms of illness, demonstrating its universality. `This is a brave book, not only because it dares to question feminist orthodoxies, but also because it reminds us that feminism's purpose is the investigation of truth, not the perpetuation of blame' Erica Jong, author of Fear of Flying

Elaine Showalter is an American literary critic, feminist and writer. She is the author of a number of works including Toward a Feminist Poetics (1979), The Female Malady: Women, Madness and English Culture (1985) and Inventing Herself: Claiming a Feminist Intellectual Heritage (2001). Showalter has achieved a Guggenheim Fellowship (1977-78) and a Rockefeller Humanities Fellowship (1981-82) and was chair of the judges for the Man Booker International Prize (2007).

'Hystories is an exhilarating book which lobs politically incorrect cocktails in all directions ... it is important and impressive in opening up a debate and reminding us of the psychological relevance of history' Jackie Wullschlager, Financial Times 'Groundbreaking ... this is undoubtedly a brave book and one which should be welcomed for generating arguments which so far have been silenced' Julie Wheelwright, Scotland on Sunday 'Hystories is guaranteeed to make us take a more reflective look at the fears and demons that so rampantly haunt our fin de siecle' Lisa Appignanesi, Independent 'Provocative and immensely readable ... Showalter's gift is for lively, literate and interpretive synthesis of specialized academic scholarship, in language that bridges the popular and scholarly worlds ... we can be thankful for a commentator as sane, courageous and clear-headed as [she]' Mark S. Micale, Times Literary Supplement 'Considered and level-headed' Ruth Rendell, Daily Telegraph 'This is a brave book, not only because it dares to question feminist orthodoxies, but also because it reminds us that feminism's purpose is the investigation of truth, not the perpetuation of blame' Erica Jong