Eunuchs and Castrati: A Cultural History [Paperback]

Piotr O. Scholz (Author), John A. Broadwin (Translator), Shelley L. Frisch (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2001

This fascinating study of eunuchs guides readers as they travel through various lands and periods, familiarizing themselves with the duties and responsibilities, the unspeakable torments, and the passions and joys of these individuals. Eunuchs were not simply "bedchamber attendants," as the Greek term suggests. Nor were they always slaves. They could just as well be ascetics, priests, magicians, scholars, physicians, military commanders, admirals, or senior officials at the courts of both eastern and western rulers. In the Byzantine empire, the only office they were precluded from attaining was that of emperor. The rich and varied forms of religious, social, and sexual life associated with eunuchs and castrati embrace a wealth of myths relating to gods and demons, initiation rites, rituals, and magic. They touch on the history of law and medicine, various systems of government, and secret societies. And they are presented to us in terms of the cruelest punishments and tortures. On the one hand, they facilitated unique developments in the evolution of vocal music, and on the other, they gave rise to a multiplicity of human behavioral patterns that reflect every aspect of good and evil. Readers will become acquainted with various forms of sexuality, such as androgyny, transvestism, transsexualism, and homosexuality, and learn about the historical, religious, and social issues associated with their characteristic "life settings." Whether out of a sense of shame or because of moral considerations, these phenomena appear only on the margins of the history of customs and mores. The book weaves together art, literary history, theology, anthropology, music, medicine, politics, and law to examine the roles of eunuchs in Egypt, Greece and Rome, Early Christianity, China, Islam, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and Reformation, and 17th and 18th century Italian opera..

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Long before John Bobbitt's wife made him notorious, emasculation was regarded as an act of torture; however, many cultures have regarded self-castration, in particular, to be virtuous. When opera became popular in the 17th century, castration ensured that young men (thereafter referred to as castrati) would retain the high voices necessary for certain roles. And when Bertolucci directed his epic film The Last Emperor, he was sure to include actors representing the more than 2,000 eunuchs in attendance at the Chinese court. But are Eunuchs and Castrati interchangeable terms? No, claims author Piotr O. Scholz of the Universities of Iodz and Bonn, although he admits that even among scholars there is confusion about how their meanings differ. Using scholarship as his foundation, Scholz explores art, literature and the social and religious history of sexuality to provide readers looking for enlightenment about the male member a rollicking yet informative romp through time and across cultures. Translated by John A. Broadwin and Shelley L. Frisch.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Exceptional" -- Today's Books

"informative" -- New York Review of Books

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 327 pages
• Publisher: Markus Wiener Pub (June 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558762019
• ISBN-13: 978-1558762015
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #668,366 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Especially recommended to students of gender studies, January 11, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eunuchs and Castrati: A Cultural History (Paperback)

Historian and academician Piotr Scholz's Eunuchs And Castrati: A Cultural History is a fascinating, informative, insightful study of eunuchs and castrated men throughout human history. Thoroughly researched and wide-ranging, Eunuchs And Castrati covers the role of eunuchs in such diverse lands and eras as Egypt, Greece, Rome, the Byzantine Empire, China, Islam, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and Reformation, and 17th and 18th-century Italian opera. Especially recommended to students of gender studies and cultural history, Eunuchs And Castrati is an impressive book written to dispel commonly held myths and draw readers into a fascinating, if somewhat disturbing human phenomena. The excellent English translation also includes a new epilogue by Shelley L. Frisch about eunuchs in the twentieth century.

4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars very interesting book, August 21, 2001

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SEBASTIANVS "libra64" (TOKYO Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eunuchs and Castrati: A Cultural History (Hardcover)

"EUNUCHS AND CASTRATI" is a very recommendable book for everyone who is interested in history, religion, ethnologia, sexologia, various cultures of the world, etc. I recommend the translation not only for the English-speaking people but also for the non-English speaking people.