Face Value

Face Value uncovers the ugly truths in 20th-century English literature. Focussing particularly on three works: Mary Webb's Previous Bane, Fay Weldon's The Life And Loves Of A She-Devil and The Elephant Man, the author discuses the connotations made about ugliness in literature. From early associations with evil, through assumptions regarding intelligence, Tim Cashmore uncovers the prejudices embedded in depictions of ugliness and how the subject is treated in the three particular text sources. This is an academic book, not what you might call an easy read, but the author makes an unusual subject intriguing. This book provides a considered and thought-provoking counterbalance to the myriad of magazines focussing primarily on beauty.