The Wise Wound: Menstruation and Everywoman

Answers many of the questions that one had never thought or dared to ask. From the Foreword by Margaret Drabble

This best-selling classic is now back in print after ten years. A groundbreaking study of the facts, fantasies and taboos surrounding menstruation, The Wise Wound has helped bring about a profound shift in women's attitudes towards a natural phenomenon that has been despised and denigrated for centuries. The Wise Wound explores the historical and cultural legacy of this repression, from its effects on the way medicine treats women to the displaced appearance of menstrual imagery at all levels of our culture.

Thoroughly researched yet highly readable, combining psychology, anthropology and poetry, their theories are illustrated using examples ranging from The Bible to the cult film The Exorcist. The Wise Wound also offers practical advice for women on how to get in touch with the hidden energies of their own moon cycle. First published in 1978, The Wise Wound has gone through numerous editions, with 100,000 copies printed. This is an important literary event. Other books on menstruation have followed, but this was the first and still has the broadest appeal. "

"The first accessible book about menstruation as a human reality ... entirely praiseworthy."?The Sunday Times

"It could bring about a major change in our understanding of the sexes."?Psychology Today

Penelope Shuttle is a noted feminist poet and novelist. Her acclaimed novels, including the most recent The Mirror of the Giant, are published by Marion Boyars. In 1996, Peter Redgrove received the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry. His highly praised manifesto on the Gaia hypothesis, The Black Goddess and the Sixth Sense first appeared in 1987.