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Article: Nymphomania: A History. (Reviews).
- Article from:
- Journal of Social History
- Article date:
- June 22, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Journal of Social History. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Nymphomania: A History. By Carol Groneman (New York and London: W.W. Norton & Company, 2000. xxiii plus 238pp. $24.95).
In her clever and elegant little book, Nymphomania: A History, Carol Groneman explores the changing meaning of the word "nymphomania" over the last two hundred years, and in doing so, manages to explain a great deal more about our altering understanding of female sexuality. How much sex is it permissible for a woman to have? And who decides?
Groneman's thesis is built around a familiar framework, within which she nevertheless contributes an original perspective. To the Victorians, "nymphomania" was a clear-cut concept: the ...