Menstruation in American Literature & Culture

This seminar aims to investigate the ways menstruation has been and is represented in American literature and culture. At the beginning of the seminar, we will lay some theoretical groundwork by reading secondary texts on the history of the stigmatization and tabooing of menstruation in American and other cultures. We will also discuss feminist criticism generally and in relation to (representations of) menstruation as well as the concept of »menstrunormativity« introduced by Josefin Persdotter. Concepts related to identity, particularly gender and sexuality but also race and class, will also be important for us.

This conceptual and theoretical groundwork will help us to meaningfully engage with a broad range of primary sources in the second part of the seminar. Those will include Gloria Steinem’s essay »If Men Could Menstruate« (1978); artworks that represent menstruation and/or use menstrual blood as paint; poems by Lucille Clifton and Rupi Kaur; the menstrual education films »The Story of Menstruation« (1947) and »Molly Grows Up« (1953); Judy Blume’s young adult novel »Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret« (1970); Lily Williams’ and Karen Schneemann’s young adult graphic novel »Go with the Flow« (2020); episodes from select sitcoms; Pixar’s »Turning Red« (2022); and various print-advertisements for menstruation products. We will also learn about the cultural and technological changes that paved the way for the commodification of menstruation products in the early twentieth century.

Based on our broad range of primary sources, we will cover a period from roughly the 1920s until today. Our goals are to analyze and interpret these different sources within their respective socio-historical contexts and the representation of menstruation within them on the one hand but also to see whether and, if so, how representations of menstruation have changed or remained stable over the course of the last century.

Please note: Since the primary and secondary sources are English, we will try to use English as our first language in the seminar. However, do not hesitate to register because of the language: there will always be a chance to use German if you have to or want to do so.

Seminarleitung: Janine Schwarz, Dr. Svenja Hohenstein