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Immaculate forms : a history of the female body in four parts  Cover Image Book Book

Immaculate forms : a history of the female body in four parts / Helen King.

King, Helen, 1957- (author.).

Summary:

"Breasts, clitoris, hymen, and womb. Across history, these body parts have told women who they are and what they should do. Although knowledge of each part has changed through time, none of them tells a simple story. The way they work and in some cases even their existence have been debated. They can be seen as powerful or as disgusting, as relevant only to reproduction or as sources of sexual pleasure. In Immaculate Forms, classicist and historian Helen King explores the symbiotic relationship between religion and medicine and their twinned history of gatekeeping over these key organs that have been used to define "woman," illustrating how conceptions of women's bodies have owed more to imagination and myth than to observation and science"-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9781541606531
  • ISBN: 1541606531
  • Physical Description: vii, 468 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
  • Edition: First US edition.
  • Publisher: New York : Basic Books, 2025.

Content descriptions

General Note:
"Originally published in 2024 by Profile Books in Great Britain"--Title page verso.
Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Formatted Contents Note:
Procuring a Good Breast -- Finding the Clitoris -- The Disappearing Hymen -- Existing for the Sake of the Womb -- Conclusion: Our Bodies, Our Selves, Our History.
Subject: Human body > Social aspects > History.
Human body > Erotic aspects.
Women > Social conditions > History.
Body image in women > History.
Women > Social conditions.

Available copies

  • 1 of 1 copy available at Missouri Evergreen. (Show)
  • 1 of 1 copy available at North Kansas City.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
North Kansas City Public Library 305.42 KING 2025 (Text) 0001012579531 Nonfiction New Available -


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