'… cogently argued, well researched, and accessible … Harvey covers important new ground, and her perspective on erotic culture is fresh and smart. Her book is a valuable resource and a welcome contribution to the field of gender and sexuality studies.' Reviews in History

Karen Harvey explores the construction of sexual difference and gender identity in eighteenth-century England. Using erotic texts and their illustrations, and rooting this evidence firmly in historical context, Harvey provides a thoroughgoing critique of the orthodoxy of work on sexual difference in the history of the body. She argues that eighteenth-century English erotic culture combined a distinctive mode of writing and reading in which the form of refinement was applied to the matter of sex. Erotic culture was male-centred and it was in this environment, Harvey argues, that men could enjoy both the bawdy, raucous, libidinous elements of the eighteenth century and the refined politeness for which the period is also renowned. This book makes a significant contribution to the history of masculinity and advocates an approach to change in gender history, one capable of capturing the processes of negotiation and contestation integral to cultural change.

List of illustrations
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Contexts
2. Sexual difference
3. Female bodies
4. Male bodies
5. Space
6. Movement
7. Pleasure
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Gender studies, gender groups [JFSJ], Social & cultural history [HBTB], Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900 [HBLL], British & Irish history [HBJD1], Literary studies: c 1500 to c 1800 [DSBD]