{"product_id":"9781908906595","title":"The Shrinking Goddess","description":"\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eA radical exploration of the power and public (mis)representation of women’s bodies, from ancient mysteries to the present day.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eWild and strange stories have been told about the female body since antiquity. While legends of poisoned hymens and fanged vaginas circulated, the first creation figure, Mother Earth, fell out of popular cultural history and Christianity introduced the birth of woman, Eve, from a crooked rib. Ranging from the empowering to the absurd, ancient tales about the female figure and gendered body parts have not only survived the twenty-first century but continue to influence modern discourse.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Shrinking Goddess\u003c\/i\u003e brings together these myths about the female form and traces subsequent male efforts to ‘tame’ it. Mineke Schipper examines how women’s bodies have been represented since records began – the first Venus and vulva figures date to 40,000 BCE – and around the world, from the so-called island of menstruating men in Papua New Guinea to the Japanese supermarkets and European festivals where ‘breast puddings’ are still considered delicacies. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDrawing together the vast reservoir of myths, proverbs, art, science and scripture that shape how women are seen in the present day, Schipper reclaims the female body as a source of power.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Shrinking Goddess  \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003ewill appeal to readers of Mary Beard, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAngela Davis, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBetty Friedan, Germaine Greer, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAudre Lorde and Marina Warner\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mineke Schipper","offers":[{"title":"Telegram |  Hardback | Cloth |  2024-10-11","offer_id":45663916097791,"sku":"9781908906595","price":37.95,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0329\/9075\/7001\/files\/9781908906595_p0_v2_s1200x630.jpg?v=1718378004","url":"https:\/\/riverbookshop.com\/products\/9781908906595","provider":"River Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}