Medical Muses: Hysteria in Nineteenth-Century Paris

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Science, Other Sciences, History, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Gender Studies, Women&
Cover of the book Medical Muses: Hysteria in Nineteenth-Century Paris by Asti Hustvedt, W. W. Norton & Company
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Asti Hustvedt ISBN: 9780393082173
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Publication: May 23, 2011
Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company Language: English
Author: Asti Hustvedt
ISBN: 9780393082173
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Publication: May 23, 2011
Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company
Language: English

A fascinating study of three young female hysterics who shaped our early notions of psychology.

Blanche, Augustine, and Genevieve found themselves in the hysteria ward of the Salpetriere Hospital in 1870s Paris, where their care was directed by the prominent neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot. They became medical celebrities: every week, eager crowds arrived at the hospital to observe their symptoms; they were photographed, sculpted, painted, and transformed into characters in novels. The remarkable story of their lives as patients in the clinic is a strange amalgam of intimate details and public exposure, science and religion, medicine and the occult, hypnotism, love, and theater.

But who were Blanche, Augustine, and Genevieve? What role did they play in their own peculiar form of stardom? And what exactly were they suffering from? Hysteria—with its dramatic seizures, hallucinations, and reenactments of past traumas—may be an illness of the past, but the notions of femininity that lie behind it offer insights into disorders of the present.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

A fascinating study of three young female hysterics who shaped our early notions of psychology.

Blanche, Augustine, and Genevieve found themselves in the hysteria ward of the Salpetriere Hospital in 1870s Paris, where their care was directed by the prominent neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot. They became medical celebrities: every week, eager crowds arrived at the hospital to observe their symptoms; they were photographed, sculpted, painted, and transformed into characters in novels. The remarkable story of their lives as patients in the clinic is a strange amalgam of intimate details and public exposure, science and religion, medicine and the occult, hypnotism, love, and theater.

But who were Blanche, Augustine, and Genevieve? What role did they play in their own peculiar form of stardom? And what exactly were they suffering from? Hysteria—with its dramatic seizures, hallucinations, and reenactments of past traumas—may be an illness of the past, but the notions of femininity that lie behind it offer insights into disorders of the present.

More books from W. W. Norton & Company

Cover of the book Modern Liberty: And the Limits of Government (Issues of Our Time) by Asti Hustvedt
Cover of the book The Italian Americans: A History by Asti Hustvedt
Cover of the book Getting to Green: Saving Nature: A Bipartisan Solution by Asti Hustvedt
Cover of the book Utopia Is Creepy: And Other Provocations by Asti Hustvedt
Cover of the book Supreme Power: Franklin Roosevelt vs. the Supreme Court by Asti Hustvedt
Cover of the book The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy: Healing the Social Brain (Second Edition) (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology) by Asti Hustvedt
Cover of the book Bringing Together: Uncollected Early Poems 1958-1989 by Asti Hustvedt
Cover of the book Black Masters: A Free Family of Color in the Old South by Asti Hustvedt
Cover of the book The Body Remembers Continuing Education Test: The Psychophysiology of Trauma & Trauma Treatment by Asti Hustvedt
Cover of the book The Sister Knot: Why We Fight, Why We're Jealous, and Why We'll Love Each Other No Matter What by Asti Hustvedt
Cover of the book Origin: A Novel by Asti Hustvedt
Cover of the book Firebreaks: Poems by Asti Hustvedt
Cover of the book What Are They Thinking?!: The Straight Facts about the Risk-Taking, Social-Networking, Still-Developing Teen Brain by Asti Hustvedt
Cover of the book The Truelove (Vol. Book 15) (Aubrey/Maturin Novels) by Asti Hustvedt
Cover of the book Technically Wrong: Sexist Apps, Biased Algorithms, and Other Threats of Toxic Tech by Asti Hustvedt
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy