Nymphomania: A History

by Carol Groneman

Book Overview

Nymphomania--organic disease, psychological disorder, legal construct, and locker-room joke. Throughout history, it's been all these and more. Today images of sexually available women permeate our culture, and curiosity about nymphomania appears to be as insatiable as the stereotypical nymphomaniac herself. Carol Groneman follows the idea of nymphomania over the last two hundred years, unraveling questions about how much is too much sex for women--and...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393322424
• ISBN13: 9780393322422
• Release Date: September 2001
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.7" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

An interesting and at times depressing look at a social "disease" of dubious existence

Throughout history, nymphomania has run rampant in Western society, not in the sense that disturbed, sexually addicted women have been prevalent, but the meaning of the word has had a large and contradictory number of meanings. The best definition, and ironically probably the most absurdly reasonable, is the one put forward by many males and some professional females. "A nymphomaniac is a woman who desires more sex than her male partner can accommodate." This is the definition most commonly cited in this book about the convoluted past of this "disease." Like so many historical accounts of how women were perceived by society, some aspects of this book are depressing. Some examples of the old wisdom that has happily passed into the dustbin of history are: *) If a young female has an incestuous relationship with a male relative, it is totally her fault. It was her desires for sex that drove the male to the action. *) The vagina is the sole source of a women's sexual pleasure. *) Many rapes are the consequence of the women's unstated/secret desire to have sex with the attacker. *) An act of rape is an act of uncontrolled lust rather than an act of violence. *) Nymphomania is a mental disease that many women have and that must be cured. *) Until approximately the end of the First World War, young girls in the United States that exhibited signs of heightened sexual desire could be "cured" by undergoing a radical hysterectomy. True nymphomania, a condition where a woman craves sex to the point of putting all else aside, is a very rare condition, perhaps to the point of being effectively nonexistent. As sex researchers and Groneman point out, a desire for sex and the physiological capability of repeatedly enjoying it appear to be a normal part of the human female composition. Which makes it terribly ironic is that this is a "disease" that is as much a part of being physiologically human as eating and breathing. This book is a fascinating journey through the history of one aspect of how sex was approached in American society. Unfortunately, it demonstrates once again the value of having diversity in all aspects of society, including medicine and psychology. When men dominated both fields, a woman could be considered sexually aberrant when her only abnormal trait was being more public than what was considered socially acceptable.

Excellent History Of Nymphomania Since The 19th Century

Groneman's book is an insightful look at Western, primarily American, cultural attitudes towards female sexuality from the 19th century to the present, with emphasis on the so-called "disease" of nymphomania. She begins in the mid-1800's, offering cases studies of young girls and housewives. These women, either voluntarily or through family pressure, sought out medical treatement to cure their high sex drive. Many doctors of this era viewed nymphomania as a physical malady. So they attempted to "cure" these women through weird and disgusting procedures such as having leeches suck blood from the vagina. Other doctors tried even more extreme surgeries, such as clitorectomies or removal of the ovaries. By the 20th century American ideas about female sexuality had become slightly more progressive. Now women were expected to have healthy and happy sexual relations. But, of course, only within the confines of heterosexual marriage. However, largely influenced by the theories of supposed sex experts such as Freud, it was now believed that women should experience orgasms only through vaginal intercourse and that women who needed clitoral stimulation were either frigid or psychologically maladjusted. Of course, women who were lesbians, prostitutes or sought to have sex outside of marriage were still considered nymphomaniacs and in need of treatment. The 1920s was a decade of modernization, with many women seeking greater equal rights and becoming more comfortable with their own sexuality. This progress continued in the 1960's and 1970's with the availability of the birth control pill and the resurgent feminist movement. Today young women are certainly more upfront about their sexual feelings compared to 100 years ago. But still a double standard remains with sexually promiscuous men considered to be "studs" while females who are equally sexually active are often called "sluts". Obviously, this needs to change. I believe we should strive towards a sexually open and honest society where both women and men are able to be as sexually active, or inactive, as they wish to be without any social stigma attached. Of course, America rose up from Puritan roots and is still probably the most sexually repressed and immature of all the modern Western nations. Hopefully we will eventually grow beyond this childish and unhealthy attitude towards sex and especially women's sexuality.

Intelligently and Empathetically Written, A 'Must Read'.

Carol Groneman has once again taken an in-depth and sensitive look at the historic and literary forces that have been used to identify and stereotype women. As in her previous book, To Toil The Livelong Day, Dr.Groneman shows her remarkable insight and exhaustive research skills while at the same time treating the women behind the subject with great respect and empathy. Thought-provoking, witty and highly engaging, Groneman's newest book will undoubtedly join Virginia Woolf, DH Lawrence, Herman Melville and others on the list of classics and 'must reads'.