For centuries, women who did not conform to societal norms were burned as witches. While women were long considered incapable of raising their children, the nurturing mother later became the ideal image of womanhood – and those who did not conform were labeled hysterics. Hysteria thus becomes not only a focal point where all areas of Western culture intersect, but it also allows human nature to evade the grasp of rationality. Today, anorexia has emerged as its successor, with women resisting the dictates of reason. Since it has always been men who determined what should be considered normal, it is hardly surprising that the "other," the irrational, is traditionally found on the side of femininity. This is an outstanding book that shines with numerous excursions into cultural and intellectual history, illuminating the neuroses of our time.