The Body in Parts

Examines how the body - its organs, limbs, viscera - was represented in literature and culture of early modern Europe. The text asks why 16th and 17th century medical, religious, and literary texts portray the body part by part, rather than as an entity and what this tells of society at the time.

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An examination of how the body--its organs, limbs, and viscera--were represented in the literature and culture of early modern Europe. This provocative volume demonstrates, the symbolism of body parts challenge our assumptions about "the body" as a fundamental Renaissance image of self, society, and nation.