Preputial phantasies in Lisa Braver Moss’s The Measure of His Grief

Abstract

Penile circumcision remains a topic that divides people. This article considers Lisa Braver Moss’s novel, The Measure of His Grief, which tells the story of a character who begins to reconsider his own circumcision. Over the course of the novel, Dr Sandy Waldman studies circumcision and the foreskin, as well as anti-circumcision activism and foreskin restoration. This article thus aims to read the novel in light of foreskin restoration and intactivist politics. Additionally, this article considers the relationship amongst the foreskin, circumcision and masculinity.