Exhibitionism The Biography: A Popular History of Performance and Display - Softcover

Chris Nancollas

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0232529159 ISBN 13: 9780232529159

Publisher: Darton, Longman & Todd, 2013

Synopsis

The story of exhibitionism goes back as far as the human race has had a culture of modesty, for some, as long ago as Adam and Eve chose to cover up in the Garden of Eden. As ideas of civility developed with time, stripping off in public came to be seen to be increasingly voyeuristic, depraved, and was often associated with madness. Exhibitionism or 'indecent exposure' was first classified as a mental disorder in 1877 by French physician Charles Lasègue. Fast forward to the present day exhibitionism is considered, in part, to involve 'a tendency towards display and extravagant behaviour'. Using this definition as a starting point, Chris Nancollas presents the first popular biography that attempts to redefine exhibitionism and explore it's cultural history, psychology and psychopathology, as well as it's manifestations in the world of art - from the painters of the Palaeolithic era to David Bowie, architecture - from the builders of Stonehenge to Richard Rodgers, acting - from the travelling companies of antiquity to Marlon Brando, and in the sex industry.

About this title

Review

MOTIVATION - 'I'm certainly not an exhibitionism in the traditional sense myself! [But] the most interesting aspect of it for me is the way in which the psychology explains the behaviour'. 'We all know someone who is a bit of a show off and the more I looked into it the more I realised that it's a particular characteristic for people'. 'Everyone thinks of the exhibitionist as the flasher in the park - showing off his genitals. [Yet] trying to redefine exhibitionism was the aim. That was absolutely the purpose behind the book'. RELEVANCE - 'With the advent of the internet and with social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, we are all becoming exhibitionists. All sorts of information about ourselves is being published online so it's almost like an exhibition of ourselves. Five years ago nobody knew what anyone did in their own home'. --Chris Nancollas interviewed in The Forester

'a fascinating introduction to the subject' --Church of England Newspaper

About the Author

Chris Nancollas, is a retired GP, and author of Down's Syndrome: The Biography (DLT, 2012).

Edition details

• Publisher: Darton, Longman & Todd
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0232529159
• ISBN 13: 9780232529159
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 144