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Reading from Behind

A Cultural Analysis of the Anus

Jonathan A Allan author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Published:15th Mar '16

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Reading from Behind cover

A staggeringly unique and insightful exploration of the anus, challenging us to move away from paranoid phallocentric critical examination, towards inclusion.

'A serious work of theory.'
The Guardian

‘Jonathan Allan has come up with a whole theory of the arsehole.’
Dazed and Confused

In a resolute deviation from the governing totality of the phallus, Reading from Behind offers a radical reorientation of the anus and its role in the collective imaginary.

It exposes what is deeply hidden in our cultural production, and challenges the authority of paranoid, critical thought.

A beautiful work that invites us beyond the rejection of phallocentricism, to a new way of being and thinking about sex, culture and identity.

Looks at the subject of the ‘booty’ with remarkable enthusiasm. * Attitude *
Jonathan Allan has come up with a whole theory of the arsehole. * Dazed and Confused *
Readers outside the academy will be rewarded with a fine example of textual analysis—and, possibly, a new appreciation of the anus as the most democratic and empowering of our body parts. * Literary Review of Canada *
A serious work of theory, exploring the backside as a site of humiliation and disgust. * The Guardian *
Allan's work is, in a sense, groundbreaking ... opening up a whole new field of study ... Allan's book should be required reading. * The Independent *
Assholes are like opinions: Everyone has them – but no one has more opinions on assholes than Jonathan Allan. * VICE *
A remarkably fresh and original contribution to contemporary queer studies. I am confident that, with Reading from Behind, Allan will emerge as a widely respected critical voice of his generation. * David William Foster, author of Sexual Textualties: Essays on Queer/ing Latin American Writing *
Entertaining and informative. * Merrill Cole, author of The Other Orpheus: A Poetics of Modern Homosexuality *
Allan reorients studies of anality. * Todd Reeser, author of Masculinities in Theory *

ISBN: 9781783607549

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 348g

262 pages