Reading from Behind

A Cultural Analysis of the Anus

By: Jonathan A. Allan

Write A Review

Paperback | 15 January 2016

Sorry, we are not able to source the book you are looking for right now.

We did a search for other books with a similar title, however there were no matches. You can try selecting from a similar category, click on the author's name, or use the search box above to find your book.

With grace and elegance, Jonathan Allan asks us to admit that the anus seems caught up in a grand narrative; the very 'ground zero of gayness'. So what is our critical obsession with orientation? What would happen if we privileged the anal dimensions of texts and of cultural analysis? What if we relaxed, loosened up our critical inquiries, embraced the fullness of the pleasure of the text, and removed ourselves from the hermeneutics of suspicion? In a resolute deviation from the governing totality of the phallus, the very site of difference, Reading from Behind offers a radical reorientation of the anus and its role in the collective imaginary. It exposes what is deeply hidden in our cultural production, to fundamentally diminish, if not negate, the seemingly unquestioned authority of paranoid, critical thought. A beautiful work that invites us beyond the rejection of phallocentricism, beyond the remarkable pleasure and privilege of not knowing and unknowing, to a space of inclusion.

Industry Reviews

Looks at the subject of the 'booty' with remarkable enthusiasm. * Attitude *
Jonathan Allan has come up with a whole theory of the arsehole. * Dazed and Confused *
Readers outside the academy will be rewarded with a fine example of textual analysis-and, possibly, a new appreciation of the anus as the most democratic and empowering of our body parts. * Literary Review of Canada *
A serious work of theory, exploring the backside as a site of humiliation and disgust. * The Guardian *
Allan's work is, in a sense, groundbreaking ... opening up a whole new field of study ... Allan's book should be required reading. * The Independent *
Assholes are like opinions: Everyone has them - but no one has more opinions on assholes than Jonathan Allan. * VICE *
A remarkably fresh and original contribution to contemporary queer studies. I am confident that, with Reading from Behind, Allan will emerge as a widely respected critical voice of his generation. * David William Foster, author of Sexual Textualties: Essays on Queer/ing Latin American Writing *
Entertaining and informative. * Merrill Cole, author of The Other Orpheus: A Poetics of Modern Homosexuality *
Allan reorients studies of anality. * Todd Reeser, author of Masculinities in Theory *

Shipping

	Standard Shipping	Express Shipping
Metro postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Regional postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Rural postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95

Orders over $79.00 qualify for free shipping.

How to return your order

At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.

Additional postage charges may be applicable.