The Anatomy of the Senses

Natural Symbols in Medieval and Early Modern Italy

This book is a brilliant account of medieval and early modern attitudes to the cosmos in general and the human body in particular, written by one of the foremost historians of folklore and popular beliefs in Europe today.

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January 1995
224 pages
162 x 241 mm / 6 x 9 in

Available Formats

Hardback $72.75
9780745605067

Table of Contents

The Hieroglyphic for Pleasure.

Plants as Symbols.

The Cursed Cheese.

The "Stupendous Abstinences".

The "Dreadful Desire to Study.".

The Anatomy of Emptiness.

"Juicy, Soft and Flexible.".

Retarded Knowledge.

Index.

About the Author

Piero Camporesi is the Professor of Italian Literature at the University of Bologna. His previous books include The Magic Harvest (Polity, 1993) and Exotic Brew (Polity, 1994).

Reviews

'Comprehensive, lucid and original, The Anatomy of the Senses will stand high amongst Camporesi's works.' Roy Porter, Wellcome Institute for the History of medicine

'Piero Camporesi is one of the most stimulating and path-breaking historians.' Roy Porter

'These are essays in the fullest sense. Camporesi eschews the footnotes.... He reaches for the opposite: a personal response to subjects shaped by wide reading, inspired insights, and reflexive prejudices.' The Times Higher Education Supplement

'... The mass of detailed evidence collected here remains consistently fascinating. This is an important book by an important historian." Choice

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