Defiantely humorous in it's tone, Faber uses her mother's experience with what has been categorized as "female hysteria", to trace the historical roots of the stereotype of the mad house wife and debunks some old- fashioned theories, such as the idea that women's bodies (either their sexual organs or reproductive ability) drive them to madness. The body as the extended metaphor to explore the question of hysteria as an active rebellion or passive response.
"My mother chose to perform on the stage she was offered, better to be seen as an hysteric than not to be seen at all."