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The Origin of the World: A History of the Vagina
The Origin of the World is a revealing, intimate, and ultimately liberating study of female sexuality at its heart: the vagina. Working from the assumption that sex is pleasurable and fulfilling insofar as its participants fully understand how it works, sexologist Jelto Drenth gives readers a guided tour of the complex, challenging, and often misunderstood "origin of the world."
Drenth describes the workings of the vagina in simple language, enriching his description throughout the book with the imagery, mythology, lore, and history that has surrounded the vagina since the Middle Ages. The Origin of the World moves from basic physiognomic facts to the realms of anthropology, art history, science fiction, and feminist literature-all in the service of mapping the dark continent. Drenth's journey takes him from Renaissance woodcuts to vibrators, clitoridectomies to "virginity checks," fears of the vagina (the vagina dentata) to its celebration. Part medical exposition covering the function of female genitalia from orgasm to pregnancy and part cultural history discussing contemporary and historical views of such aspects of the feminine as pubic hair, Freud's theories of coitus, and slang terms for the vagina, The Origin of the World is encyclopedic in its breadth, fascinating in its content, and familiar in its subject.
This lightly written exploration can be seen as both an owner's manual and a guide for the perplexed. Women and men alike will benefit from its entertaining erudition and from its fundamental mission of demystifying sex and sexuality in the service of greater understanding and, from that understanding, greater pleasure.
Drenth describes the workings of the vagina in simple language, enriching his description throughout the book with the imagery, mythology, lore, and history that has surrounded the vagina since the Middle Ages. The Origin of the World moves from basic physiognomic facts to the realms of anthropology, art history, science fiction, and feminist literature-all in the service of mapping the dark continent. Drenth's journey takes him from Renaissance woodcuts to vibrators, clitoridectomies to "virginity checks," fears of the vagina (the vagina dentata) to its celebration. Part medical exposition covering the function of female genitalia from orgasm to pregnancy and part cultural history discussing contemporary and historical views of such aspects of the feminine as pubic hair, Freud's theories of coitus, and slang terms for the vagina, The Origin of the World is encyclopedic in its breadth, fascinating in its content, and familiar in its subject.
This lightly written exploration can be seen as both an owner's manual and a guide for the perplexed. Women and men alike will benefit from its entertaining erudition and from its fundamental mission of demystifying sex and sexuality in the service of greater understanding and, from that understanding, greater pleasure.
300 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
6 people are currently reading
226 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 6, 2017
Fantastisch boek! Nog nooit zoveel geleerd over het vrouwelijk geslacht. Wist je bijvoorbeeld dat het doorslikken van sperma van de eigen partner beschermend is tegen zwangerschapsvergiftiging? Dit omdat het lichaam van de vrouw wordt voorbereid op de lichaamsvreemde eiwitten die het kind ook in zich heeft.
Dit en nog veel meer.. nu ook voor mannen.
Dit en nog veel meer.. nu ook voor mannen.
November 25, 2022
3,5 ster!
Een ontzettend uitgebreid boek met feiten uit alle tijden. En nee, het is niet uitsluitend vanuit mannelijk perspectief geschreven. Mijn vooroordeel was onterecht.
Door het herschreven gedeelte aan het einde had ik gewild dat dit boek geschreven was in deze periode, 2022. Er is een duidelijk verschil te merken tussen de eerste uitgave en de feiten en mythen die nu in de ronde gaan. Het grootste lees plezier en de meeste herkenning lag voor mij daarom pas aan het einde.
Toch heeft dit boek mij vaak laten lachen en doen opkijken van verbazing.
Zeker een aanrader mocht je onderzoek doen naar seksuologie of geïnteresseerd zijn in de geschiedenis van het vrouwelijke geslacht.
Voor een meer actueel boek zou ik toch een andere kiezen.
Een ontzettend uitgebreid boek met feiten uit alle tijden. En nee, het is niet uitsluitend vanuit mannelijk perspectief geschreven. Mijn vooroordeel was onterecht.
Door het herschreven gedeelte aan het einde had ik gewild dat dit boek geschreven was in deze periode, 2022. Er is een duidelijk verschil te merken tussen de eerste uitgave en de feiten en mythen die nu in de ronde gaan. Het grootste lees plezier en de meeste herkenning lag voor mij daarom pas aan het einde.
Toch heeft dit boek mij vaak laten lachen en doen opkijken van verbazing.
Zeker een aanrader mocht je onderzoek doen naar seksuologie of geïnteresseerd zijn in de geschiedenis van het vrouwelijke geslacht.
Voor een meer actueel boek zou ik toch een andere kiezen.
December 22, 2012
Everyone should read this (not only women but men).
October 28, 2023
Vajina konusunda okuduğum ilk ve tek kitap olma onuruna erişti kendisi..
Şu aralar seks, cinsellik ve beden konularına odaklanmış bulunuyorum. Bu kitabı da kadın bedeninde bir erkeğin ilgisine en çok maruz kalan ama benim yaşadığım coğrafyada pek araştırılmayan, sahip olduğu fiziksel özellikler ve nitelikler yalnızca dilden dile konu olmuş bir organı öğrenmek adına okumuş bulunuyorum. Bana vajina konusunda kesinlikle birçok bilgi kattı kendisi. Bu arada ilk vibratörlerin aslında tedavi amaçlı olduğunu bilmiyordum. Ayrıca klitorisin bir nevi kadın penisi olduğunu da öğrenmiş olduk. Vajinada kas kilitlenmesi vajinismus olarak isimlendirilmiş. Vajina konusunda yazılmış ikinci bir kitap da Dr. Jen Gunter tarafından yazılmış ama yine de içeriğine bakınca pek ilgimi çekmedi kendisi. Zira Dr. Gunterin yazmış olduğu kitap benim anladığım kadarıyla daha çok hijyen konusuna odaklanmış ki bu da kitabın kadınlar için yazıldığını gösteriyor gibime geldi. O yüzden ilgimi çekmedi. Jelto Drenth ise vajinanın tarihini yazmış adeta. Kitapdan bir şikayetim yok ama yayınevi pek kaliteli iş çıkarmamış maalesef. Zira çevirisi iyi olsa bile pek çok baskı hatası var.
Konuya ilgi duyanlara tavsiye ederim ama maalesef pek öyle geniş kitleler tarafından okunacağını düşünmüyorum. Bizim coğrafyada bilgiler ağızdan ağıza geçer (ve de maalesef pek çok doğru bilinen yanlış barındırır).
Şu aralar seks, cinsellik ve beden konularına odaklanmış bulunuyorum. Bu kitabı da kadın bedeninde bir erkeğin ilgisine en çok maruz kalan ama benim yaşadığım coğrafyada pek araştırılmayan, sahip olduğu fiziksel özellikler ve nitelikler yalnızca dilden dile konu olmuş bir organı öğrenmek adına okumuş bulunuyorum. Bana vajina konusunda kesinlikle birçok bilgi kattı kendisi. Bu arada ilk vibratörlerin aslında tedavi amaçlı olduğunu bilmiyordum. Ayrıca klitorisin bir nevi kadın penisi olduğunu da öğrenmiş olduk. Vajinada kas kilitlenmesi vajinismus olarak isimlendirilmiş. Vajina konusunda yazılmış ikinci bir kitap da Dr. Jen Gunter tarafından yazılmış ama yine de içeriğine bakınca pek ilgimi çekmedi kendisi. Zira Dr. Gunterin yazmış olduğu kitap benim anladığım kadarıyla daha çok hijyen konusuna odaklanmış ki bu da kitabın kadınlar için yazıldığını gösteriyor gibime geldi. O yüzden ilgimi çekmedi. Jelto Drenth ise vajinanın tarihini yazmış adeta. Kitapdan bir şikayetim yok ama yayınevi pek kaliteli iş çıkarmamış maalesef. Zira çevirisi iyi olsa bile pek çok baskı hatası var.
Konuya ilgi duyanlara tavsiye ederim ama maalesef pek öyle geniş kitleler tarafından okunacağını düşünmüyorum. Bizim coğrafyada bilgiler ağızdan ağıza geçer (ve de maalesef pek çok doğru bilinen yanlış barındırır).
December 27, 2023
Contains a lot of information that is important to get out there, there were definitely some fascinating parts but there were a few things that made this book less enjoyable than it could have been.
One, I may have missed it, but I don't think the author ever fully explained his connection to writing this book. I did find in the jacket cover that he works as a sexologist, but beyond that, there is a story of a publisher going to him to ask him about the book, and his explanation of his reluctance, but in the end I was left with only the reluctant reasoning- here we have a random man explaining to the world about vaginas.
Adding to the less than scientific feeling is the random-seeming approach to the author's choice in literature to cite. I appreciated his thorough approach to Freud and some prominent people of his time period, but other than that, there seemed to be some fairly obscure examples to illustrate myth and culture and the ideas drenth was analyzing. Maybe it's just me?
The other thing that had me hung up was his starting the book with a fairly dry biological description of the vagina. Fortunately, the ensuing chapters delved into the more interesting aspects of myth and culture, but I found the first chapter rather hard to get through. Though I do understand the need to establish these facts from the onset, if I had been a less dedicated reader I might have abandoned the book completely.
All in all I wish the book had been treated less like a weird book of fun party talk and more like a momentous turn to illuminate this oft misconstrued anatomy. But I still think the subject is worth reading about, and his approach did provide credibility for a subject that is historically dismissed.
One, I may have missed it, but I don't think the author ever fully explained his connection to writing this book. I did find in the jacket cover that he works as a sexologist, but beyond that, there is a story of a publisher going to him to ask him about the book, and his explanation of his reluctance, but in the end I was left with only the reluctant reasoning- here we have a random man explaining to the world about vaginas.
Adding to the less than scientific feeling is the random-seeming approach to the author's choice in literature to cite. I appreciated his thorough approach to Freud and some prominent people of his time period, but other than that, there seemed to be some fairly obscure examples to illustrate myth and culture and the ideas drenth was analyzing. Maybe it's just me?
The other thing that had me hung up was his starting the book with a fairly dry biological description of the vagina. Fortunately, the ensuing chapters delved into the more interesting aspects of myth and culture, but I found the first chapter rather hard to get through. Though I do understand the need to establish these facts from the onset, if I had been a less dedicated reader I might have abandoned the book completely.
All in all I wish the book had been treated less like a weird book of fun party talk and more like a momentous turn to illuminate this oft misconstrued anatomy. But I still think the subject is worth reading about, and his approach did provide credibility for a subject that is historically dismissed.
April 14, 2019
Read it in Russian translation.
May 21, 2022
Eigenlijk 3.5/5 x
February 18, 2015
це якраз та книжка, яку разом з їжею поєднувати категорично не раджу. про жінок і їхні, ммм, фізіологічні особливості, а також психологію, яка з цим пов'язана. пізнавально, хоча часом трохи зануджувала та тема.
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August 2, 2009sabar menunggu bukunya datang...... akhirnya datang juga...!!!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews