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About this product
Product Identifiers
PublisherDuke University Press
ISBN-100822321939
ISBN-139780822321934
eBay Product ID (ePID)295170
Product Key Features
Book TitleErotic Innocence : the Culture of Child Molesting
Number of Pages277 Pages
LanguageEnglish
Publication Year2000
TopicAbuse, Sociology / General, Abuse / Child Abuse, Popular Culture
IllustratorYes
GenreFamily & Relationships, Social Science, Self-Help
AuthorJames Kincaid
FormatTrade Paperback
Dimensions
Item Height1.5 in
Item Weight20.2 Oz
Item Length9.2 in
Item Width6.1 in
Additional Product Features
LCCN97-041074
Reviews“A stunning and stinging book-more than entertaining, it is medicinal. This is Kincaid at his powerful, funny, learned, and sinuous best.�-Nina Auerbach, author of Our Vampires, Ourselves, "Brave, wise, original, and exuberantly engaging, Erotic Innocence really does intervene in the contemporary cultural scene, both exposing its hypocritical awfulness and articulating models for a world in which children and adults could live much more happily than we do now. A brilliant and humane piece of cultural criticism."--Joseph Litvak, author of Strange Gourmets, "A stunning and stinging book-more than entertaining, it is medicinal. This is Kincaid at his powerful, funny, learned, and sinuous best."-Nina Auerbach, author of Our Vampires, Ourselves, " . . . a sane and sarcastic study by Professor Kincaid which should make all the abuse-freaks shut up. . . Kincaid's idee maitresse . . . is that all this chatter has little to do with protecting children and everything to do with feeding ghastly concealed adult appetites . . . full of wisdom and sanity."--The Spectator, 26 August, 2000"[A book of] centred wisdom and muscular rationality."--Paula Fass, The Washington Times"There is much in Erotic Innocence that is provoking, annoying, and amusing. . ." --James Campbell, The New York Times Book Review"Fascinating and thoughtful . . . . Kincaid's ideas deserve a fair hearing and consideration."--Richard P. Kluft, Journal of the American Medical Association"Kincaid's most trenchant (and bravely comic) pages take up the dream of child seduction that Victorian writers like Lewis Carroll initiated and follow it into contemporary narratives."--Marina Warner, Village Voice Literary Supplement"A stunning and stinging book--more than entertaining, it is medicinal. This is Kincaid at his powerful, funny, learned, and sinuous best."--Nina Auerbach, author of Our Vampires, Ourselves"Brave, wise, original, and exuberantly engaging . . . . A brilliant and humane piece of cultural criticism."--Joseph Litvak, author of Strange Gourmets, “Brave, wise, original, and exuberantly engaging, Erotic Innocence really does intervene in the contemporary cultural scene, both exposing its hypocritical awfulness and articulating models for a world in which children and adults could live much more happily than we do now. A brilliant and humane piece of cultural criticism.�-Joseph Litvak, author of Strange Gourmets, "A stunning and stinging book--more than entertaining, it is medicinal. This is Kincaid at his powerful, funny, learned, and sinuous best."--Nina Auerbach, author of Our Vampires, Ourselves, " . . . a sane and sarcastic study by Professor Kincaid which should make all the abuse-freaks shut up. . . Kincaid's idee maitresse . . . is that all this chatter has little to do with protecting children and everything to do with feeding ghastly concealed adult appetites . . . full of wisdom and sanity."--The Spectator, 26 August, 2000 "[A book of] centred wisdom and muscular rationality."--Paula Fass, The Washington Times "There is much in Erotic Innocence that is provoking, annoying, and amusing. . ." --James Campbell, The New York Times Book Review "Fascinating and thoughtful . . . . Kincaid's ideas deserve a fair hearing and consideration."--Richard P. Kluft, Journal of the American Medical Association "Kincaid's most trenchant (and bravely comic) pages take up the dream of child seduction that Victorian writers like Lewis Carroll initiated and follow it into contemporary narratives."--Marina Warner, Village Voice Literary Supplement "A stunning and stinging book--more than entertaining, it is medicinal. This is Kincaid at his powerful, funny, learned, and sinuous best."--Nina Auerbach, author of Our Vampires, Ourselves" Brave, wise, original, and exuberantly engaging . . . . A brilliant and humane piece of cultural criticism."--Joseph Litvak, author of Strange Gourmets, "A stunning and stinging book--more than entertaining, it is medicinal. This is Kincaid at his powerful, funny, learned, and sinuous best."--Nina Auerbach, author of Our Vampires, Ourselves "Brave, wise, original, and exuberantly engaging, Erotic Innocence really does intervene in the contemporary cultural scene, both exposing its hypocritical awfulness and articulating models for a world in which children and adults could live much more happily than we do now. A brilliant and humane piece of cultural criticism."--Joseph Litvak, author of Strange Gourmets "There is much in Erotic Innocence that is provoking, annoying, and amusing. . . ." -- James Campbell New York Times Book Review, "Brave, wise, original, and exuberantly engaging, Erotic Innocence really does intervene in the contemporary cultural scene, both exposing its hypocritical awfulness and articulating models for a world in which children and adults could live much more happily than we do now. A brilliant and humane piece of cultural criticism."-Joseph Litvak, author of Strange Gourmets
Dewey Decimal362
Table Of ContentContents Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Trapped in the Story 2. Inventing the Child-and Sexuality 3. Myths of Protection, Acts of Exposure 4. Home Alone with the Adorable Child 5. Resenting Children 6. Myths, Legends, Folktales, and Lies 7. The Trials: Believing the Children 8. Accusing the Stars: Perversion among the Prominent 9. Recovered Memory 10. The Backlash, the Counterbacklash, the Reaction, the Resurgence, the Return, the Reform, the Restating the Whole Thing for Clarity 11. Other Stories, Other Kids Appendix Notes Index
SynopsisIn Erotic Innocence James R. Kincaid explores contemporary America's preoccupation with stories about the sexual abuse of children. Claiming that our culture has yet to come to terms with the bungled legacy of Victorian sexuality, Kincaid examines how children and images of youth are idealized, fetishized, and eroticized in everyday culture. Evoking the cyclic elements of Gothic narrative, he thoughtfully and convincingly concludes that the only way to break this cycle is to acknowledge--and confront--not only the sensuality of children but the eroticism loaded onto them. Drawing on a number of wide-ranging and well-publicized cases as well as scandals involving such celebrities as Michael Jackson and Woody Allen, Kincaid looks at issues surrounding children's testimonies, accusations against priests and day-care centers, and the horrifying yet persistently intriguing rumors of satanic cults and "kiddie porn" rings. In analyzing the particular form of popularity shared by such child stars such Shirley Temple and Macaulay Culkin, he exposes the strategies we have devised to deny our own role in the sexualization of children. Finally, Kincaid reminds us how other forms of abuse inflicted on children--neglect, abandonment, inadequate nutrition, poor education--are often overlooked in favor of the sensationalized sexual abuse coverage in the news, on daytime TV talk shows, and in the elevators and cafeterias of America each day. This bold and critically enlightened book will interest readers across a wide range of disciplines as well as a larger general audience interested in American culture., Explores the current preoccupation with child molesting and children's sexuality and the ways that this degree of fascination is itself suspect
LC Classification NumberHV6570
