The Historical Enigma of the Snake Woman From Antiquity to the 21st Century
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This book provides an exploration of the historical conditions that gradually defined subordinating symbols and conflictual values in social relations between the sexes. It reveals how snakes and the gelid eyes of Medusa—the archetypical snake-woman—have reverberated across the visual arts and written sources throughout the ages in association with negative emotions: fear, anger, scorn and shame.The outcomes and implications of the disturbing correlation between the dangerous female gaze, the malignitas of the snake and the lethal power of menstruation that have been woven through the fabric of the Western imaginary are analysed here. This analysis reveals an intriguing history of female reptilian hybrids—from the pleasing Minoan snake goddesses to the depressing Gorgon, Echidna, Amazons, Eve, Melusine, Basilisk, Poison-Damsel, Catoblepas and Sadako/Samara—and gives the reader an opportunity to explore things that never happened but have always been. Table of Contents List of Illustrations Introduction Chapter One The Gorgons and the gorgoneia Venerable monsters A taste of the Classical Medusa myths A stroll with the bogey-woman—no walk in the Metamorphoses “My Name Is Red” The Juice of Life Hypatia’s Curse “Two eyes hurt you but three eyes heal” Our Ladies of Serpents Among the living Goddesses... …and the Goddesses of Terror were born Medusa the Magistra The “Empire of Man” In the world of Telemachus On the stage of infamy A ‘Wonder’ Gorgon Chapter Two Mirrors on the past From repellent to powerless Identifying the Other Stereotypes The Hybrids The iconography of “mournful thoughts” Fear Itself Monster-women on film Chapter Three In the chaos of the night “With a terror similar to…” “Medusa, come…!” The snake as the emblem of Otherness Women & snakes “And do you not know that you are each an Eve?” Unclean The Poison-Damsel Visual teachings Lessons at Court L’Atelier des femmes Hildegard of Bingen Trotula de Ruggiero Christine de Pizan “A great beauty” Chapter Four Infinite Varieties Headhunters Cold, serpentine art A vital spark Conclusion Select Bibliography Index
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