Dressing Up: Transvestism and Drag: The History of an Obsession
by Peter Ackroyd
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An excellent, plentifully illustrated, brief history of transvestism.
Ackroyd covers all the major bases, examining the phenomenon from anthropological, psychological, sociological and cultural standpoints. While the book rather naturally focuses on discussion of the sociological and cultural/artistic expressions of transvestism (including a brief but highly interesting chapter on transvestism in literature), Ackroyd is not afraid to speculate on the psychological motivations of transvestites; he's at his best when considering the differences between transvestism and "drag", as well as the psychological distinction between those who dress in clothing associated with the opposite gender for reasons of psychological compulsion or sexual show more fetish and those who dress thus as part and parcel of transexualism and a core gender identity differing from that assigned at birth. Although the book was written in 1978, Ackroyd's views on transvestism, his sociological and psychological insights, are sensitive and sophisticated; certainly, he's a far more sympathetic, less judgmental and biased observer than many of the psychiatric experts of the time.
The book's out of print but well worth hunting down. Or, for that matter, snatching up, should you run across a copy. show less
Ackroyd covers all the major bases, examining the phenomenon from anthropological, psychological, sociological and cultural standpoints. While the book rather naturally focuses on discussion of the sociological and cultural/artistic expressions of transvestism (including a brief but highly interesting chapter on transvestism in literature), Ackroyd is not afraid to speculate on the psychological motivations of transvestites; he's at his best when considering the differences between transvestism and "drag", as well as the psychological distinction between those who dress in clothing associated with the opposite gender for reasons of psychological compulsion or sexual show more fetish and those who dress thus as part and parcel of transexualism and a core gender identity differing from that assigned at birth. Although the book was written in 1978, Ackroyd's views on transvestism, his sociological and psychological insights, are sensitive and sophisticated; certainly, he's a far more sympathetic, less judgmental and biased observer than many of the psychiatric experts of the time.
The book's out of print but well worth hunting down. Or, for that matter, snatching up, should you run across a copy. show less
A social & historical look at Drag in western culture and other cultures. B&W photographs of people and places and famous cases.
Geschichte des Transvestitismus. Mit Illustrationen.
Jun 23, 2015German
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90+ Works 31,852 Members
Peter Ackroyd was born in London in 1949. He graduated from Cambridge University and was a Fellow at Yale (1971-1973). A critically acclaimed and versatile writer, Ackroyd began his career while at Yale, publishing two volumes of poetry. He continued writing poetry until he began delving into historical fiction with The Great Fire of London show more (1982). A constant theme in Ackroyd's work is the blending of past, present, and future, often paralleling the two in his biographies and novels. Much of Ackroyd's work explores the lives of celebrated authors such as Dickens, Milton, Eliot, Blake, and More. Ackroyd's approach is unusual, injecting imagined material into traditional biographies. In The Last Testament of Oscar Wilde (1983), his work takes on an autobiographical form in his account of Wilde's final years. He was widely praised for his believable imitation of Wilde's style. He was awarded the British Whitbread Award for biography in 1984 of T.S. Eliot, and the Whitbread Award for fiction in 1985 for his novel Hawksmoor. Ackroyd currently lives in London and publishes one or two books a year. He still considers poetry to be his first love, seeing his novels as an extension of earlier poetic work. (Bowker Author Biography) Peter Ackroyd is the award-winning author of four biographies, most recently the national bestseller "The Life of Thomas More", as well as ten novels, including "Chatterton" & "Hawksmoor". He lives in London, where he is at work on his next book, "London: The Biography. (Publisher Provided) Peter Ackroyd is a bestselling writer of both fiction and nonfiction. He lives in London. (Publisher Provided) show less
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- Nonfiction, History, LGBTQ+, Sexuality and Gender Studies, Sociology, Anthropology, General Nonfiction, Art & Design
- DDC/MDS
- 301.41 — Society, government, & culture Social sciences, sociology & anthropology Sociology and anthropology Formerly: Social structure
- LCC
- HQ77 .A25 — Social sciences The family. Marriage, Women and Sexuality The Family. Marriage. Women Sexual life Transexualism
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