The author names different archetypes and facets of the concept of virginity. Examples include the Medical Virgin—exploring what exactly virginity is and how to reliably identify one: the Religious Virgin—from the Madonna to the American Christian Right’s insistence on sexual abstinence before marriage: the Popular Virgin of Gothic fiction : the Political Virgin:virginity’s intimate connection with money and power: and the Monstrous Virgin, as embodiment of what is ultimately unknowable and of violence, excess, and death.
Blank presents a survey of the cultural history of virginity. She focuses on how virginity has been conctructed and perceived throughout time in Western culture, and also on female virginity. She traces the history from pre-Christian societies like ancient Greece and Rome, through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and through Victorian times to our day. The book begins by introducing the physical side of virginity: the facts and the myths. She reveals the myriad ways virginity has been tested and contested, guarded and faked, and even restored.