{"product_id":"monstrous-bitch-9780691291666","title":"Monstrous Bitch","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHow an ancient myth about a sexually voracious, baby-slaying, loudmouthed demoness became the defining misogynistic archetype of Western civilization\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor as long as human societies have been telling stories, the patriarchy has felt threatened by women. In this book, Eleanor Johnson provides an engaging cultural history of a figure she calls the “monstrous bitch,” the notorious female who has haunted the patriarchal imagination for centuries, feared for her sexual promiscuity, her exercise of reproductive agency and control, and her outspoken way of contesting patriarchal power.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn a narrative brimming with insight, Johnson traces the origins of female monstrosity to the demoness Lamashtu of ancient Mesopotamia, showing how this infanticidal, hypersexual, loudmouthed monster appears in different guises throughout history. In classical Greece, she reemerges as the sorceress Medea, the child-devouring monster Lamia, and the vengeful Furies. In the medieval and early modern periods, she is an oversexed, baby-slaying, spellcasting witch; in the Romantic and Victorian eras, a vampiress; and in the modern age of psychoanalysis, a mental patient. After this \u003ci\u003elongue durée\u003c\/i\u003e history, Johnson shows how monstrous bitchery has been challenged and reinterpreted in contemporary cinematic popular culture, becoming an expression of heroism and resistance in films like \u003ci\u003eGinger Snaps\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eJennifer's Body\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Witch. \u003c\/i\u003eShe demonstrates how deeply embedded the roots of misogyny have become, and why it is more critical today than ever that we expose and address them.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAn irreverent look at a pervasive trope that runs through four thousand years of Western culture, \u003ci\u003eMonstrous Bitch\u003c\/i\u003e reveals that while representations of the powerful woman have evolved over time, the fear and demonization of her remains the same.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Eleanor Johnson","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43489199816822,"sku":"9780691291666","price":29.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0671\/1374\/6550\/files\/CoreSourceHub_94d91f52-5a7a-4d4d-99be-1d08cac27143.jpg?v=1780867294","url":"https:\/\/ingramacademic.com\/products\/monstrous-bitch-9780691291666","provider":"Ingram Academic \u0026 Professional","version":"1.0","type":"link"}