A luminously original exploration of the deep roots of diet culture by an award-winning historian'A courageous and beautifully written exploration
of a vitally important subject' The Herald'Fascinating' Katherine May'These books ... deepen our understanding of how our bodies are ourselves, and how we may live...' New Statesman'Beautifully written, lyrical and unflinching' Charlotte Fox Weber'Her passion for her topic spills into her writing; the conclusions she draws are troubling and thought-provoking' The TelegraphThe day Jessica Hamel-Akré discovered the ideas of George Cheyne - an eighteenth-century polymath and London society figure known as 'Dr Diet' - it sparked an intellectual obsession, a ten-year study of women's appetite and a personal unravelling.
In this bold and radical book, Hamel-Akré follows Cheyne through the pages of medical studies, novels and historical scandals, meeting ash-eating mystics, wasting society girls, impoverished female fasters and early feminist philosophers, all of whom were once grappling with nascent ideas around food, longing and the body. In doing so, she uncovers the eighteenth-century origins of both today's diet culture and her own troubled relationship with wanting.
Blending history and memoir, The Art of Not Eating will change the way we look at appetite, desire, rationality and oppression, and show how it all got tangled up with what we eat.
By:
Jessica Hamel-Akré
Imprint: Atlantic Books
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: Export/Airside
Dimensions:
Height: 235mm,
Width: 153mm,
Spine: 23mm
Weight: 395g
ISBN: 9781838957049
ISBN 10: 1838957049
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 12 November 2024
Audience:
General/trade
,
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
ELT Advanced
,
Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Part I: The Benefits of Abstinence 1: A Text 2: An Invitation 3: A Memory 4: A Fiction Part II: Ouroboros 5: A Daughter 6: A Disappointment 7: An Imposter 8: An Observation 9: A Consequence Part III: Angel Food 10: A Question 11: A Plate of Ashes 12: A State of Nature 13: A Revelation 14: A Leap of Faith Part IV: A Right to Regale 15: A Thought of Wanting 16: A Performance 17: A Preservation of Self Appendix: Mrs ANN MOORE, the Woman of Tutbury, to the Satirist, or Monthly Meteor, June 1813
Jessica Hamel-Akr is an award-winning historian, researcher and cultural strategy consultant. She holds a PhD from the University of Montreal and was a postdoctoral scholar in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge and Newnham College where she conducted a seven year study on the history of appetite control. An expert in the history of women's health, literature and feminist thought, she has helped some of the world's biggest brands navigate emerging ideas around gender, digital wellbeing and beauty. Jessica co-created and presented on the BBC Radio 4 documentary The Unexpected History of Clean Eating.
Reviews for The Art of Not Eating: A Doubtful History of Appetite and Desire
A fascinating exploration of the deep roots of our diet culture, and a very personal account of its current repercussions * Katherine May, author of Wintering * A beautifully written, lyrical and unflinching exploration of our relationships with eating and food. Hamel-Akré takes us into the heart of human experiences. This book is psychologically illuminating and, most importantly, deeply fascinating * Charlotte Fox Weber, author of What We Want *
