Vested Interests: Cross-Dressing & Cultural Anxiety by Garber, Marjorie B - 1991

Independence, Kentucky, U. S. A.: Routledge. Near Fine in Near Fine dust jacket. 1991. Hardcover. There can be no culture without the transvestite. " Beginning with this bold claim, Marjorie Garber explores the nature and significance of cross-dressing and of the West's recurring fascination with it. Vested Interests is a tour de force of cultural criticism; its investigations range across history, literature, film, photography, and popular and mass culture, from Shakespeare to Mark Twain, from Oscar Wilde to Peter Pan, from transsexual surgery to transvestite 'sororities' to Madonna and Flip Wilson, Valentino and Elvis. What Garber asks, does clothing have to do with sexuality? How do dress codes contribute to the organization of society? How is passing as a man or a woman related to racial passing? Is transvestism a sign of homosexuality? What are the politics of drag? Why are cross-dressing rituals so commonly a part of the male power elite? And, why is Peter Pan played by a woman? Rich in anecdote and insight, this volume offers a provocative argument about our ongoing obsession with dressing up - and the power of clothes. 443 pages. The binding is black cloth with slight spots where tape was holding on the jacket. The ffep has a barcode and stamp on it, with part of a card envelope. There is a library stamp on the title page and the top page edges. There are three groupings of pictures, one in color. The jacket should be fine when re-covered. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. .