{"product_id":"speaking-in-hunger-donnalee-frega-9781570032752","title":"Speaking in Hunger: Gender, Discourse, and Consumption in Clarissa","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDraws on history, clinical studies, and literature to portray anorexia not as a private illness but as a learned and shared family language\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFemale hunger and eating habits have long been regarded as a form of discourse, a rich and complex metaphoric language of victimization, physicality, eroticism, and empowerment. Feminist scholars acknowledge that women's ability to manipulate food distribution and their bodies (often the only resources in their power) can be a double-edged sword, a tool that allows women to repress their sexuality, to establish social rank, to engage in charitable activities, even while it forces them to accommodate physical victimization in order to empower themselves. I wish to argue that this seeming contradiction, often recognized as a mere displacement of power--a metaphoric equation of hunger with femininity, virginity, spiritualism, or class position--oversimplifies hunger as a language because it ignores the intricate ways in which this language is learned and shared.--from the Introduction\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDonnalee Frega confronts the growing tendency in both popular and scholarly studies to view eating disorders as a secret and private form of negative self-expression \"suffered\" primarily by women. Drawing on history, clinical studies, and literature, Frega's comprehensive study approaches anorexia not as an illness, but as a dangerous strategy employed by healthy young people of both sexes against unrealistic expectations of perfection.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrega examines in depth the three areas in which eating disorders are most likely to flourish: the home and family; society, particularly through friendships and romantic relationships; and the religious or spiritual realm. She illustrates her discussion with a lively reading of Samuel Richardson's compelling novel Clarissa, the psychologically realistic story of a \"fasting\" girl that evoked international outrage when it was published in 1748 and continues to impress scholars and therapists today.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe author considers the broad range of social and cultural factors that have defined \"abnormal\" eating practices throughout history, and she convincingly argues that when anorexia is viewed as an effective language that is learned and shared through family interaction (rather than as a hopeless attempt to repudiate life), much of its mystery is dispelled.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Donnalee Frega\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1570032750\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781570032752\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of South Carolina Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/31\/1998\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 177\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.72lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.96h x 6.06w x 0.51d","brand":"Donnalee Frega","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48449752793343,"sku":"9781570032752","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_acd535a5-aaca-4539-b5b9-5ad6695dd424.jpg?v=1777264759","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/speaking-in-hunger-donnalee-frega-9781570032752","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}