Time exploitation in Brutal Myths' first part

B. Mutilation response to myths

The examples in this part can be divided in two different groups according to the date on which the events took place.
The first category would be composed of mutilations which took place before 1700. So we would have the chastity belt (1400s, in Tormentil), the clitoridectomy (Inquisition, in Cleavers), the attachment of a woman to her house (Mayas period, in Birthwort) and the foot- binding in China (10th Century, in Deadly Nightshade).
The second category would be composed of mutilations that took place after 1700. And we would have the lobotomy (1936, in Hemlock), the giraffe women (in Henbane) and the liposuction (in Viper's Bugloss).
Thus, we can see that the "invention" of mutilations to prevent women's evil nature is exclusive of the Dark Ages. Though, of course, they are now presented as a miracle, a gift to women. A way to improve one's body. But in the literate sense of the term, a liposuction is still a mutilation, since it maims someone's body.

C. Affected function and Current mutilation

In these two parts, the authors only use contemporary examples (1996). These examples consist of a picture, as well as a short text mentioning the names of the actors. There is no need for Rapoport and Sat to explain them : at the time of the publishing, these cases were still fresh in the minds of the readers. The same occurs with the space : the examples are almost always set in the US (except China's foot-binding and France's muslim immigrants)
What is striking in "Affected function" and "Current mutilation" is that the Time is not only used as an illustration of Brutal Myths' argumentation. Time has become a main part of the argumentation. We can see that in Viper's Bugloss : in Current mutilation there are no arguments, only an example : "Victim of Bulimia : Princess Diana" followed by a picture of the Princess. The fact that Diana is a contemporary and mediated person constitute a valuable argument. There's no need to explain anything, since "Bulimia" and "Diana" are set at the same place in the timeline,as the reader. It's their particular place in a timeline that transform these examples in arguments.


So we can see that Rapoport and Sat follow a very clear timeline in the argumentation of the first part or Brutal Myths : for example Tormentil : we first have the story of Susanna, then the apparition of the chastity belt, then the case of Sarah Jewett (set in 1836) and finally two contemporary examples of women mistreatment.

Introduction
Time exploitation in Brutal Myths' first part (1)
Time exploitation in Destroying Myths
Time exploitation in Brutal Myths' Introductions
Conclusion
Return to Second Paper : Second Paper

Academic year 2008/2009
© a.r.e.a./Dr.Vicente Forés López
© Charlotte Fernandez
charfer@alumni.uv.es
Universitat de Valčncia Press