Temptress: From the Original Bad Girls to Women on Top

by Jane Billinghurst

Book Overview

According to Jane Billinghurst, men created the idea of the temptress -- an irresistible woman bent on bringing them down -- to justify the fact that they so often surrender to women, especially in the bedroom. In this fascinating study, she examines this vision in history, mythology, in the Bible, artwork, and film. She traces the evolution of the temptress from an almost demonic presence in folklore to current in-your-face performers like Madonna...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1553650360
• ISBN13: 9781553650362
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: Greystone Books
• Length: 184 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.5" x 9.8"

Customer Reviews

The history of women: they frighten men!

This book is well written with many great pictures of the mythology around women over the years in various cultures. The only negative of the book is it is repetitious. I.E. in every case women were seen as a danger to men so were pathologized by their cultures. I would have rather seen this theme not so beat to death with the pages saved having been used to demonstrate how a woman of today might become a temptress using the knowledge that women of the past applied.

Very interesting

This book was very informative when it came to historical backgrounds of famous temptresses the world over. Great art inside and notable details.

In a Class by Itself

Like its author, Oxford-educated writer and editor Jane Billinghurst, this book is in a class by itself. Of several works that have been written on the subject of famous courtesans, temptresses, and hussies in history ("Seductress" by Prioleau, "The Book of the Courtesans" by Susan Griffin, or the wonderfully titled "Famous Hussies of History" by Albert Payson Terhune), this is clearly the book to own. Beautifully illustrated (the book won the 2004 Alcuin award for excellence in Canadian book design), it contains a wonderful selection of relevant paintings (works by Rackham, Waterhouse, and John Singer Sargent appear side by side with discoveries by less familiar artists such as John Collier (who painted the wonderful rendition of Lilith on the cover), Papety, Gennari, Dury, and Henry Bone. Add to this a fine selection of still photos of Claudette Colbert (a luscious Cleopatra), Jane Russell, Clara Bow, Rita Hayworth, etc., and the visual appeal of the book is irresistible. The early chapters offer an excellent concise sampling of sensuality in art, literature, and fable from classical antiquity to the middle ages. The later chapters tread on more familiar territory (film and the music scene), but are always insightful as well. The work skillfully avoids the pitfalls of the Prioleau and Griffin books -- too much feminist jargon in the former, too much purple prose in the latter. Comparable works -- "Encyclopedia of Mistresses" by Dawn B. Sova, the Trevelyan book ("Hussies"), and "Courtesans" by Katie Hickman -- also have their charms, but the unillustrated Trevelyan book (a great read) appears to be out of print, while Hickman's focuses on the lives of five relatively anonymous "courtesans" rather than the more flamboyant sisters-in-arms that Jane Billinghurst so delightfully captures. The book would be a bargain for the lavish artwork alone, but the author (who judging from the back flap is a bit of a temptress herself) has really outdone herself in providing an entertaining and perceptive study of the temptress phenomenon. The book is recommended for women's studies courses or human sexuality reference collections, but it is far more than that -- it is a delightful, informative, entertaining volume that is a real pleasure to own. Get a copy it and see!

In a Class by Itself

Like its author, Oxford-educated writer and editor Jane Billinghurst, this book is in a class by itself. Of several works that have been written on the subject of famous courtesans, temptresses, and hussies in history ("Seductress" by Prioleau, "The Book of the Courtesans" by Susan Griffin, or the wonderfully titled "Famous Hussies of History" by Albert Payson Terhune), this is clearly the book to own. Beautifully illustrated (the book won the 2004 Alcuin award for excellence in Canadian book design), it contains a wonderful selection of relevant paintings (works by Rackham, Waterhouse, and John Singer Sargent appear side by side with discoveries by less familiar artists such as John Collier (who painted the wonderful rendition of Lilith on the cover), Papety, Gennari, Dury, and Henry Bone. Add to this a fine selection of still photos of Claudette Colbert (a luscious Cleopatra), Jane Russell, Clara Bow, Rita Hayworth, etc., and the visual appeal of the book is irresistible. The early chapters offer an excellent concise sampling of sensuality in art, literature, and fable from classical antiquity to the middle ages. The later chapters tread on more familiar territory (film and the music scene), but are always insightful as well. The work skillfully avoids the pitfalls of the Prioleau and Griffin books -- too much feminist jargon in the former, too much purple prose in the latter. Comparable works -- "Encyclopedia of Mistresses" by Dawn B. Sova, the Trevelyan book ("Hussies"), and "Courtesans" by Katie Hickman -- also have their charms, but the unillustrated Trevelyan book (a great read) appears to be out of print, while Hickman's focuses on the lives of five relatively anonymous "courtesans" rather than the more flamboyant sisters-in-arms that Jane Billinghurst so delightfully captures. The book would be a bargain for the lavish artwork alone, but the author (who judging from the back flap is a bit of a temptress herself) has really outdone herself in providing an entertaining and perceptive study of the temptress phenomenon. The book is recommended for women's studies courses or human sexuality reference collections, but it is far more than that -- it is a delightful, informative, entertaining volume that is a real pleasure to own. Get a copy it and see!

Particularly recommended for Women's Studies reading lists

Temptress: From The Original Bad Girls To Women On Top by Jane Billinghurst meticulously examines the image of the temptress (the woman that men find irresistible) while drawing from the ancient stories of Lilith and Eve, to such modern-day icons as Mae West and Madonna. Covering cultural legends and attitudes ranging across the span of recorded human history, Temptress examines how the image of the seductive woman has been used to portray a threat, a delight, or even as an image reclaimed by women themselves. A provocative yet scholarly survey, Temptress is strikingly illustrated with full-page black-and-white and color photography. Temptress is particularly recommended for Women's Studies reading lists and Human Sexuality Studies reference collections.