The Body Emblazoned : Dissection and the Human Body in Renaissance Culture

An outstanding piece of scholarship and a fascinating read, The Body Emblazoned is a compelling study of the culture of dissection the English Renaissance, which informed intellectual enquiry in Europe for nearly two hundred years. In this outstanding work, Jonathan Sawday explores the dark, morbid eroticism of the Renaissance anatomy theatre, and relates it to not only the great monuments of Renaissance art, but to the very foundation of the modern idea of knowledge. Though the dazzling displays of the exterior of the body in Renaissance literature and art have long been a subject of enquiry, The Body Emblazoned considers the interior of the body, and what it meant to men and women in early modern culture. A richly interdisciplinary work, The Body Emblazoned re-assesses modern understanding of the literature and culture of the Renaissance and its conceptualization of the body within the domains of the medical and moral, the cultural and political. An Outstanding Work Of Interdisciplinary Scholarship And A Fascinating Read, The Body Emblazoned Is A Study Of The Renaissance Culture Of Dissection Which Informed Intellectual Enquiry In Europe For Nearly Two Hundred Years. Though The Dazzling Displays, In Renaissance Art And Literature, Of The Exterior Of The Body Have Long Been A Subject Of Enquiry, Jonathan Sawday Considers In Detail The Interior Of The Body, And What It Meant To Men And Women In Early Modern Culture. Sawday Links The Frequently Illicit Activities Of The Great Anatomists Of The Period, To Whose Labours We Are Indebted For So Much Of Our Understanding Of The Structure And Operation Of The Human Body, To A Wider Cultural Discourse Which Embraces Not Only The Great Monuments Of Renaissance Art, But The Very Foundation Of A Modern Idea Of Knowledge. A Richly Interdisciplinary Work, The Body Emblazoned Reassesses Modern Understanding Not Only Of The Literature And Culture Of The Renaissance, But Of The Modern Organization Of Knowledge Which Is Now So Familiar That It Is Only Rarely Questioned.--jacket. The Autoptic Vision -- The Renaissance Body, From Colonization To Invention -- The Body In The Theatre Of Desire -- Execution, Anatomy, And Infamy, Inside The Renaissance Anatomy Theatre -- Sacred Anatomy And The Order Of Representation -- The Uncanny Body -- The Realm Of Anatomia, Dissecting People -- 'royal Science'. Jonathan Sawday. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. An outstanding piece of interdisciplinary scholarship, The Body Emblazoned is a study of the Renaissance culture of dissection which informed intellectual inquiry in Europe for nearly two hundred years. Though the dazzling displays in Renaissance art and literature of the exterior of the body have long been a subject of enquiry, Jonathan Sawday considers in detail the interior of the body, and what it meant to men and women in early modern culture. Sawday links the frequently illicit activities of the great anatomists of the period, to whose labors we are indebted for so much of our understanding of the structure and operation of the human body, to a wider cultural discourse which embraces not only the great moments of Renaissance art, but the very foundation of a modern idea of knowledge. Illustrated with thirty-two black and white prints, The Body Emblazoned re-assesses modern understanding not only of the literature and culture of the Renaissance, but of the modern organization of knowledge which is now so familiar that it is only rarely questioned. Sawday Offers A Compelling Study Of The Culture Of Dissection In The English Renaissance Which Informed Intellectual Enquiry In Europe For Nearly Two Hundred Years. The Autoptic Vision -- The Renaissance Body, From Colonization To Invention -- The Body In The Theatre Of Desire -- Execution, Anatomy, And Infamy, Inside The Renaissance Anatomy Theatre -- Sacred Anatomy And The Order Of Representation -- The Uncanny Body -- The Realm Of Anatomia, Dissecting People -- 'royal Science'. Jonathan Sawday. Originally Published: London : New York : Routledge, 1995, With A New Preface By The Author. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 271-315) And Index. 'A major event in the cultural history of the modern era ... beautifully written, rich in insights, and a pleasure to read. A most absorbing and illuminating work of scholarship.' - Roy Porter, The Wellcome Institute Dissection might be thought of as a self-explanatory term, though that is not entirely the case.