"A fine retelling of the Brontes' story . . . It does much to throw light on the achievement of one of the greatest geniuses of nineteenth-century literature."--The New York Times Book Review

In this compelling, beautifully written book, Emily Bronte emerges for the first time in the full complexity of her nature--the most gifted and intelligent of the Bronte sisters, and also the most passionate, willful, and self-destructive. Katherine Frank, whose biography of Mary Kingsley won wide critical acclaim, brings a novelist's dramatic flair and a brilliant gift for...

Based on her experiences as a stripper in a city she calls Laurelton--a southeastern city renowned for its strip clubs--anthropologist Katherine Frank provides a fascinating insider's account of the personal and cultural fantasies motivating male heterosexual strip club "regulars." Given that all of the clubs where she worked prohibited physical contact between the exotic dancers and their customers, in "G-Strings and Sympathy" Frank asks what--if not sex or even touching--the repeat customers were purchasing from the clubs and from the dancers. She finds that the clubs provide an...

Based on her experiences as a stripper in a city she calls Laurelton a southeastern city renowned for its strip clubs anthropologist Katherine Frank provides a fascinating insider s account of the personal and cultural fantasies motivating male heterosexual strip club "regulars." Given that all of the clubs where she worked prohibited physical contact between the exotic dancers and their customers, in "G-Strings and Sympathy" Frank asks what if not sex or even touching the repeat customers were purchasing from the clubs and from the dancers. She finds that the clubs provide an intermediate...

With a recent burst of feature films, documentaries, and books on strippers, the business of exotic dancing is hotter than ever. Over the last decade there has been a steadily expanding interest in exotic dance, from its role as an "art form" to its benefits as a means of exercise. While the breadth of discussion generated on this topic has expanded, the fundamental debate remains the same: are female strippers empowering themselves or allowing themselves to be exploited?
With her follow-up to Jane Sexes It Up: True Confessions of Feminist Desire, M. Lisa Johnson moves beyond the old...

From tribal religious rituals to the Playboy mansion, and from ancient Rome to Burning Man, Plays Well in Groups explores the phenomenon of group sex. Author Katherine Frank draws on surveys, ethnographic research, participant interviews, and more to provide explanations for both, participation in group sex and our complex reactions to it, from fascination to fear. This book looks at group sex across cultures--who has it, and why. Group sex is almost always taboo and often criminalized, and yet it persists across cultures throughout history. Plays Well in Groups looks at the symbolism of...