The myths of motherhood : how culture reinvents the good mother
(Book)
Author
Published
Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 1994.
Physical Desc
xxvii, 381 pages ; 24 cm.
Status
Community College of Aurora - CentreTech - BOOKS
HQ 59 .T48 1994
1 available
HQ 59 .T48 1994
1 available
Description
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Copies
Location | Call Number | Status |
---|---|---|
Community College of Aurora - CentreTech - BOOKS | HQ 59 .T48 1994 | On Shelf |
Location | Call Number | Status |
---|---|---|
West Routt Library District - NONFICTION | 306.874 THU | On Shelf |
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Subjects
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More Details
Published
Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 1994.
Format
Book
Language
English
Notes
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (p. [328]-358) and index.
Description
Given a voice, what would the Great Goddess, the Virgin Mary, Snow White's evil stepmother, or Portnoy's mom have said about child care, contraception, bonding, or breast-feeding? Would their feelings have mattered? After all, maternity has been constructed by men over the millennia. Aristotle thought mother's womb merely cooked father's seed. The Church preferred virgins to mothers, and Freud was father-fixated. Even a brief survey of history reveals a diversity of maternal practices and ideals that are at odds with each other as well as with the views of contemporary child-care experts and psychologists. "I cannot recall ever treating a mother who did not harbor shameful secrets about how her behavior or feelings damaged her children," writes Thurer. Today our sentimentalized conception of the good mother casts a long, guilt-inducing shadow over real mothers' lives. Never has there been so much advice and so little agreement. Never have the ideals of motherhood been as ambiguous, psychologically demanding, and unforgiving. One conclusion is certain: the "good mother" is a cultural invention. In this brilliant synthesis of history, psychology, the arts, and religion, Thurer shows how our current concept of the ideal mother, like all ideology, is culture-bound, historically specific, and hopelessly tied to fashion. Thurer exposes our current myths of motherhood as a backlash against recent gains in women's rights and control over their bodies. "For thousands of years, because of her awesome ability to spew forth a child, mother has been feared and revered. She has been the subject of taboos, witch hunts, mandatory pregnancy, and confinement in a separate sphere. She has endured appalling insults and perpetual marginalization. She has also been the subject of glorious painting, chivalry, and idealization. Through it all she has rarely been consulted." The Myths of Motherhood, finally, is her story.
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Citations
APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)
Thurer, S. (1994). The myths of motherhood: how culture reinvents the good mother . Houghton Mifflin.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Thurer, Shari. 1994. The Myths of Motherhood: How Culture Reinvents the Good Mother. Houghton Mifflin.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Thurer, Shari. The Myths of Motherhood: How Culture Reinvents the Good Mother Houghton Mifflin, 1994.
MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)Thurer, Shari. The Myths of Motherhood: How Culture Reinvents the Good Mother Houghton Mifflin, 1994.
Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.
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