The Strange History of Suzanne LaFleshe: And Other Stories of Women and Fatness / Edition 1

by Susan Koppelman, Kates Shulman Alix

Overview

Spanning the 1890s through the 1990s, this unique, daring, and vital collection explores the many psychological and emotional tensions in women’s relationships to—and perceptions of—their physical selves. Addressing the peculiarities, the delights, and the shames of body politics that reside in the flesh, these stories of bodies that refuse to be contained deftly and astutely comment on popular notions of acceptable body types and behaviors.

Often witty, sometimes painful, and always revelatory, the stories in this anthology offer a measured assessment of the rules, unspoken and otherwise, that govern women’s bodies. Whether celebrating bodies deemed transgressive or simply acknowledging that such bodies exist, the volume’s diverse literary representations of fatness render these bodies brilliantly, unapologetically visible.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781558614512
Publisher:	Feminist Press at CUNY, The
Publication date:	11/01/2003
Series:	The Women's Stories Project
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Susan Koppelman is a pioneering literary historian, acknowledged as the leading authority on the women's short story in the United States. Her ten anthologies include Between Mothers and Daughters and The Strange History of Suzanne LaFleshe.

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgments	xi
	Foreword	xv
	Introduction	xix
	Juanita (1895)	1
	The Stout Miss Hopkins's Bicycle (1897)	3
	The Homely Heroine (1910)	19
	Noblesse (1913)	26
	Even As You and I (1919)	35
	Fat (1927)	56
	This Was Meant to Be (1946)	66
	Good-Bye, Old Laura (1965)	77
	The Food Farm (1967)	100
	Jelly Rolls (1979)	108
	He Was a Man! (But He Did Himself Wrong) (1984)	116
	The Feeder (1985)	124
	Bloomingdale's (1986)	135
	The Dream Diet	140
	A Mammoth Undertaking (1987)	147
	Fat Lena (1988)	151
	On Ward G (1989-90)	153
	Skanks (1990)	161
	Perfectly Normal (1990)	171
	Primos (1992)	181
	The Language of the Fat Womon (1992)	190
	The Man I Love (1993)	193
	Magnetic Force (1993)	202
	The Hershey Bar Queen (1994)	205
	The Strange History of Suzanne LaFleshe (1997)	215
	Afterword	229
	Bibliography	269
	Credits	273

Editorial Reviews

"The lives and loves of fat women have been invisible in plain sight for far too long. Here they are—an exhilarating, revelatory, century-spanning array." —Marilyn Wann, author of FAT! SO?

"Each story is a gem. . . . This is a valuable and viable literary collection that expands our understanding of the other 'F' word: FAT." —Cheri K. Erdman, author of Live Large! Affirmations for Living the Life You Want in the Body You Already Have

"Reading this book is a bold act of liberation from the insane culture which promotes body hatred. The stories light the way for women to celebrate their beauty—fat, thin, or in between!"—Edward J. Cumella, director of Research & Education, Remuda Treatment Centers for Anorexia and Bulimia, Wickenburg, Arizona

"Every woman should read this book. In fact, so should anyone who's foolishly worried about gaining five pounds. Buy this book, eat what you like, and your dinner table conversations will never be the same. This book is a feast of knowledge for students and scholars in literature, women's studies, American culture, and American life." —Emily Toth, author of Unveiling Kate Chopin

From the Publisher