History of the Breast

I first came across A History of the Breast while researching the evolution of the corset for a graduate term paper. Immediately intrigued by the straight-forward title and various brief reviews, I picked up the book with the intention of diving in at the earliest possible opportunity. Of course, that opportunity didn't seem to come until about 2.5 years later.

Marilyn Yalom's A History of the Breast is a fascinating work focusing on, obviously, the cultural evolution of the perception of the breast. Yalom's text moves chronologically and pulls from any and all material available, from statues to literature and pamphlets, to advertisements and modern social movements. While I was personally most interested in her examination of the breast as it evolved from "The Sacred Breast" of ancient civilizations to "The Domestic Breast" of the Dutch, the text attempts to cover a wide range of subjects extending into politics, psychology, and commercialism.

What I feel is an unfortunate flaw in Yalom's work is her assumptive attitude towards her reader; she assumes that her audience consists solely of other feminist scholars, and seems to be writing directly to them as opposed to a wider audience of scholars and enthusiasts. While very little of the work actually seems to rely on feminist theory and interpretation, Yalom's historical analysis at times appears to be overly-hostile to her subjects (specifically those of the Renaissance) while providing no academic basis for such hostility within this individual work. As a student and instructor of literature, I found her treatment of English literature particularly troubling; it seems to detract from the strength of the writing, as it reduces great works to rather shallow interpretations. Of course, feminist theory is an academically rich field in and of itself, and it's just as likely that my own ignorance of Yalom's field is as at fault for my discomfort as the text itself.

Overall, I was very pleased with A History of the Breast and the wealth of information and insight it provided. Yalom's style is easy to read, and logically presented in such a way as to build the reader's understanding as the book progresses. For anyone interested in gender studies, women's history, breasts and breastfeeding, the female form in art and culture, or the evolution of women's clothing I would certainly recommend this book. ( )

This book manages to cover quite a bit of ground, just by examining one body part. The view of the breast has changed in history, from a spiritual image in the many-breasted goddesses, to a political image in Revolutionary-era France, to a medical image. Of course, the sexuality of the breast is also examined in great detail. The ongoing theme through the book is how much one part of a woman is used and manipulated-sexualized, exploited for captial and political gain, and portrayed in art. This book never reads like a feminist polemic, though, which is one of its great strengths. It's good to have a little background in history before reading this, and it is an amazing book to read along with A History of the Wife and Sex in History. ( )