Unnatural Bodies : The Development of Categories of Sexual Deviancy in Medical Treatises and Popular Sexologies on Generation, 1675-1725

Terry Enns

ISBN 10: 3838331206 / ISBN 13: 9783838331201

Editore: LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing, 2011

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nach der Bestellung gedruckt Neuware - Printed after ordering - This book analyzes the emergence of categories of sexual deviancy as they appear in selected medical treatises from the eighteenth century. Terms such as homosexual or lesbian were not yet available in medical or public discourse but the early modern writers did use a variety of other references to establish the existence of such categories. For instance, one might label deviants as hermaphrodites, eunuchs, sodomites, or monsters to describe what were perceived as unnatural forms of sexual expression which ostensibly posed a threat to the social order because they were not procreative. Moreover, the sudden explosion in scientific and medical knowledge during the Enlightenment created a need for the organization and classification of such knowledge, as well as a fascination with anomalies and how they might be cured. I argue that these medical texts and popular sexologies function as vehicles of social control by emphasizing that the only legitimate form of sexual expression was within the context of marriage and that its sole purpose was for reproduction.

Codice articolo 9783838331201

Dati bibliografici

• Titolo: Unnatural Bodies : The Development of Categories of Sexual Deviancy in Medical Treatises and Popular Sexologies on Generation, 1675-1725
• Editore: LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing
• Data di pubblicazione: 2011
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 3838331206
• ISBN 13: 9783838331201
• Rilegatura: Taschenbuch
• Condizione: Neu
• Dimensioni: 220 L x 150 A x 4 P (millimetri) 220 millimetri di larghezza per 150 millimetri di altezza per 4 millimetri di profondità
• Peso: 102 grammi

Descrizione articolo

Riassunto

This book analyzes the emergence of categories of sexual deviancy as they appear in selected medical treatises from the eighteenth century. Terms such as homosexual or lesbian were not yet available in medical or public discourse but the early modern writers did use a variety of other references to establish the existence of such categories. For instance, one might label deviants as hermaphrodites, eunuchs, sodomites, or monsters to describe what were perceived as “unnatural” forms of sexual expression which ostensibly posed a threat to the social order because they were not procreative. Moreover, the sudden explosion in scientific and medical knowledge during the Enlightenment created a need for the organization and classification of such knowledge, as well as a fascination with anomalies and how they might be cured. I argue that these medical texts and popular sexologies function as vehicles of social control by emphasizing that the only legitimate form of sexual expression was within the context of marriage and that its sole purpose was for reproduction.

Informazioni sull'autore

Terry Enns (B.Th., BA (Hon.), MA) is a graduate of the English Department at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. His scholarly interests include the literary and cultural history of Early Modern England and exploring the dynamics of hegemonic structures that repress sexual minority groups. He currently resides in rural Saskatchewan.