In recent years, the Freudian construction of a passive, female sexuality has been severely criticised by feminists. This book tackles the question of female fetishism and documents women's engagement in this form of sexuality. Most psychoanalytic theory excludes the very possibility of the existence of female fetishism. In the face of the wealth of evidence gathered in this book, covering a range of fetishistic practices, the authors suggest that Freudian phallocentrism has prevented analysts from seeing the evidence before their eyes. "Female Fetishism" provides a theoretical context for understanding the subject, and also collects together case material from food and advertising fetishism to the obsessional behaviour of pop fans - collecting pop paraphernalia and locks of idols' hair - and women's involvement in the world of fetish magazines and dress clubs.

This book considers the profound influence of fairy tales on contemporary fiction, including the work of Margaret Atwood, A.S. Byatt, Angela Carter, Robert Coover, Salman Rushdie, and Jeanette Winterson.Recent decades have witnessed a renaissance of interest in the fairy tale, not least among writers of fiction. In ""Contemporary Fiction and the Fairy Tale"", editor Stephen Benson argues that fairy tales are one of the key influences on fiction of the past thirty years and also continue to shape literary trends in the present. Contributors detail the use of fairy tales both as inspiration and blueprint and explore the results of juxtaposing fairy tales and contemporary fiction.At the heart of this collection, seven leading scholars focus on authors whose work is heavily informed and transformed by fairy tales: Robert Coover, A. S. Byatt, Margaret Atwood, Angela Carter, and Salman Rushdie. In addition to investigating the work of this so-called fairy-tale generation, ""Contemporary Fiction and the Fairy Tale"" provides a survey of the body of theoretical writing surrounding these authors, both from within literary studies and from fairy-tale studies itself. Contributors present an overview of critical positions, considered here in relation to the work of Jeanette Winterson and of Nalo Hopkinson, suggesting further avenues for research.""Contemporary Fiction and the Fairy Tale"" offers the first detailed and comprehensive account of the key authors working in this emerging genre. Students and teachers of fiction, folklore, and fairy-tale studies will appreciate this insightful volume.