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Theresa LaDr. NeelHonors 115: On the Sublime

November 29, 2012Annotated Bibliography

Wang, Ping. Aching for Beauty: Footbinding in China . Minneapolis: University of Minnesota,2000. Print.- This work combines the personal account of a woman who partook in China’s

footbinding process and the technical account of footbinding. There is a brief history of footbinding and an exploration of China’s fascinations with footbinding, as a sexualfetish but mainly with its role in creating the image of the perfect woman. The author gives a brief personal anecdote, but this work concentrates mainly on the role of footbinding in attaining perfection from the women’s point of view. There is one chapter from the men’s point of view on why footbinding is a necessary requirement for havingthe perfect body. This book provides evidence for my argument that pursuing perfectioncauses the loss of individuality and destruction of the body’s natural makeup.

Klaw, Spencer. Without Sin: The Life and Death of the Oneida Community . New York, N.Y.,U.S.A.: Allen Lane, 1993. Print.- This reference work gives the entire history of the Oneida Community from its

conception until it collapse. There are images of the original documents that formed theOneida Community. This work focuses mainly on the custom and culture of the OneidaCommunity and its participant. There are mainly personal stories from members of theOneida Community. This book provides evidence for my argument that perfection isimpossible because of constantly changing standards and that the pursuit of perfectionleads to a loss in personal identity.

- “Couple who feel in love in the wrong way… were likely to be sent off to one of theOneida’s outpost or satellite communities.” – pg. 6

- “Intellectual freedom, in common with the freedom to choose one’s sexual partners, wasnot unlimited.” – pg. 7

Gordon, Suzanne. Off Balance: The Real World of Ballet. New York, N.Y., 1983. Print- This book is a combination of both personal stories of ballerinas who pursue their dream

by studying at renown schools such as ABT and the struggles that they encounter. It provides a look behind doors that are often closed to outsiders. It focuses on the damagesthat ballerinas bring upon themselves, both psychological and physically. This book discusses the constantly evolving world of ballet, and how it has affected ballerinas. This

book provides substance for my argument that perfection has constantly changingstandards, and that the pursuit of perfection leads to a loss in personal identity as well as adestruction of the body.

- “Because many mothers and fathers become completely absorbed in their children’scareers, many female dancers, and some male dancers, never learn to separate their ownidentities from the identities of their parents.” – pg. 14

Introductory ParagraphTurned out 180 degrees, her feet were properly positioned. No hair was out of place. Everythingwas perfect as Gelsey Kirkland stood on stage waiting to dance the part of Clara in The

Nutcracker. Gelsey was America’s darling ballerina: the perfect ballerina whom all little girls

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wanted to be when they grew up. However, underneath the ballerina bun and beautiful leotard,was a woman who was destroying her body. Self-mutilation to create the perfect body was notlimited only to ballerinas. Decades earlier, with their custom of foot binding, Chinese women

purposely broke their arch and disfigured their feet in order to attain the perfect lotus shape. The pursuit of perfection destroys not only the organic authenticity of the human body, but also

individualism. In their attempts to create a perfect society, leaders of utopian communitiesrequire that their members give up their uniqueness to form a homogenous identity, believingthat this will lead to the success of the community. The standards of perfection are constantlychanging, making an elusive, unattainable goal. Because of its ambiguous nature, perfection isimpossible and the pursuit of perfection ultimately leads to destruction and loss and personalidentity and individualism. This paper will discuss the pursuit of perfection as seen in theintertwining examples of ballerinas, the Oneida Community, and the Chinese custom of footbinding.

Title: On the Mirage of Perfection: Ballerinas, the Oneida Community, and Footbinding.