num_pages: 352
description: Fat. Such a little word evokes big responses. While fat describes the size and shape of bodiestheir appearanceour negative reactions to corpulence also depend on something tangible and tactile. As this book argues there is more to fat than meets the eye. A Cultural History of the Stuff of Life offers reflections on how fat has been perceived and imagined in the West since antiquity. Featuring fascinating historical accounts as well as philosophical religious and cultural analysesincluding discussions of status gender and racethe book digs deep into the past for the roots of our current notions and prejudices. Two central themes how we have perceived and imagined corpulent bodies over the centuries and how fatas a substance as well as a description of body sizehas been associated with vitality and fertility as well as perceptions of animality. By exploring the complex ways in which fat fatness and fattening have been perceived over time this book provides rich insights into the stuff our stereotypes are made of.
language: English
title: Fat: A Cultural History of the Stuff of Life
publisher: Reaktion Books