The Instruments of Iron

The Instruments of Iron

Being the first episode in our series on gynecology and obstetrics in the 18th century, in which I discover the hazy origins of the forceps, mock jealous husbands, pity crushed noses, indulge an inevitable reference to Michel Foucault, and take a grim travel forward in time to the nineteenth century. It has been marked as explicit because, as should be obvious from the title, I expound copiously on the human genitalia and their various uses and mis-uses.

Welcome to The Golden Quince!

In which I briefly explain what this project is all about, and mention some of the questions about the 18th century that plague me day and night. Join me in this adventure!

Silence, Gentlemen

In which I explore masculinity and the creation of identity, first in a 1711 periodical, and then through the lens of social and queer theory, and finally take a hard look at England's self-identity in relation to its imperialist colonizing enterprises.