The Wise Wound
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Book Overview
This groundbreaking study of the facts, fantasies and taboos surrounding menstruation has helped bring about a profound shift in attitudes towards a natural phenomenon that has been reviled and denigrated over the centuries. Thoroughly researched yet highly readable, combining psychology, anthropology and poetry, the authors illustrate their theories using examples ranging from the Bible to such modern horrors as vampire movies and cult film The Exorcist. Book jacket.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0553349066
ISBN13:9780553349061
Release Date:June 1990
Publisher:Bantam
Length:421 Pages
Weight:0.94 lbs.
Dimensions:1.0" x 5.2" x 8.3"
Related Subjects
Criticism & Theory Education Education & Reference Health Health, Fitness & Dieting Health, Fitness & Dieting History & Criticism Literary Criticism Literary Criticism & Collections Mythology Mythology & Folk Tales Politics & Social Sciences Psychology Psychology & Counseling Social Science Social Sciences Women Writers Women's StudiesCustomer Reviews
6 ratings
Very informative information.
Published by Sal , 3 years ago
For anyone who is looking to learn more about her body
Academic Love
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 16 years ago
Although this is a great book. It was a little more academic than I typically like to read. Filled with great information on the societal changes of the view of women's bleeding, the academic approach left me a little bored, but this is just my reading preference. If you are looking for a great book about mensturation, how to love your body, in a no nonsence, textbook way, this book is for you.
A must read
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 20 years ago
This book is one of the books I recommend to anyone trying to understand more about modern culture and menstruation. Shuttle and Redgrove do a very decent job exploring myth, biology, and psychology to present the menstrual process as a holistic experience. The book is a hefty read which can at times be tough to follow, but for a beginning look at sociology and menstruation it really can't be beat. There are reasons I didn't rate this book as 5 stars. The authors fall back on Jungian psychology for almost all of their assumptions. I find Jungian methods to be inherently flawed in their assumptions, that the active portions of the psyche are inherently male, and the passive portions are inherently female. The authors also rely on free association with myth and popular culture to tie the book together, diminishing the book's usefulness as a basis for a scholarly discussion on the culture towards menstruation. In other words, a good place to start looking, but if you're serious about researching the phenomenon, keep reading other books after this one.
A different perspective
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 20 years ago
This book changed the way I see my femininity for ever. I think everyone should read it.
PMS turned inside out
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
Pre-menstrual syndrome, with all its characteristics of cramps, pain, depression and headaches is nothing more than male programming or 'Howlback' according to the WW. Women have been conditionned to perceive the bleed as just a biological inconvenience which can be modified or 'treated' with drugs or ignored completely. Shuttled and Redgrove theorize the motivation behind this pattern and deconstruct it using examples from ancient cultures and horror film imagery of the menstruating female. But the text covers much more than PMS; in a way, the latent significance of menstruation has been turned 'outside- in', concealed from and downgraded by modern society and suppressed. The WW demonstrates how the gifts of the bleed can be turned back inside (from the unconscious) out (to consciousness), that is back to the right and Natural place in the importance of our femality. If you are looking for advice on how diet can help with PMS dont bother with this book. If you want to change the 'curse' into a very wise wound indeed, the you MUST read it. My wisebleed is now my 'call of the wild' and PMS is His-story !
Body Wisdom
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
I am disappointed to discover that this book is now out of print. It has been an infinitely valuable resource to me as I have searched through the traditions of medicine, mythology, religion, and psychology to discover the mysteries of feminine wisdom. My own copy, dog-eared by years of referencing as I work with women struggling to get in touch with their own wisdom, is a treasure in my library.
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