Through the Flesh. Dissection and the Cultural History of the Body
Stueland, Espen: Gjennom kjøttet. Disseksjonen og kroppens kulturhistorie
With knowledge and curiosity THROUGH THE FLESH explores dissection of the human body; a much discussed and celebrated practice through the centuries. On the basis of Leonardo da Vinci’s anatomic drawings and Rembrandt’s paintings from the dissection table, the author shows the rich artistic production that springs from dissection. The medical treatment of the body is the basis for what he writes about Shakespeare, Baudelaire, Wergeland and Frostenson, Orlan and Andres Serrano, and about movies and television: The Kingdom, The X-Files and CSI.
Is the dead body fair game? Does the dead body have any rights? Views on body and identity through the times are also a central topic. Are there limits to what we can put the body through? How were and are the relations between medicine, research, religion, moral and decency?
THROUGH THE FLESH is a vivid presentation of the dead body as object of inquisitiveness, taboo practices and not least as a source of inspiration.
Praise for "Through the Flesh":
”A beautiful monster of a book, a stained, formalin stinking masterpiece … a magnus opus, a principal work which has barely seen its equal in modern Norwegian literature … Stueland’s accomplishment is due to a deep understanding of medical history as a central field in the history of society… The project, spread and the power of the story, the narrative energy, is so convincing. I have never before seen anything like this curiosity and hunger for knowledge. It is as if Stueland wishes to create a new, integrated subject of culture all on his own, which surprisingly links the field and phenomena that many have heard of, but not given much thought to … Stueland writes in such a clear, pointed and good way, that the parts I have enjoyed the most have been the longest passages … Stueland writes excellently about the painter Francis Bacon and “the beauty of the ruptured blood vessel” … I give thanks to both the author and the publisher for the remarkable boldness that surrounds this project. As long as somebody dares to gamble like this, the book culture is safe” ( Morgenbladet)
“Tops his authorship with this extensive documentation and discussion of the history and importance of dissection … Stueland shows overwhelming knowledge within art and literature, history of mentality and philosophy, medicine and social studies … Stueland’s treatment of relevant authorships is equally thorough and exciting … I read it as a fascinating essayistic dance with the dead, naked body as protagonist … To dance with this 780 page text can appear as a literary marathon. However, you will be rewarded regularly en route” (VG).
”Morbid elegance. Wow, what a beautiful book … We’re offered a journey in dissection and the body’s cultural history. I am immediately hit by how rich dissection is as an image – as a prism of our culture. I could not wait to slide my review scalpel along this book, and unlike anatomy’s dissection table, this would smell nice … He lets the medical dissection history form the backbone of the book, whilst the heart remains in the literature … Equipped with these glasses, Stueland makes his elegant and wonderfully morbid cuts into our corpus of idea history. However, when it becomes necessary he applies his tongs and saw. Through the flesh establishes an impressive interdisciplinary perspective … This is scholarly work, however, it is not vain … The wide perspective ensures that many will enjoy this book.” (Bergens Tidende)
”The publication is something as rare as a scholarly and impeccable essay … Through the flesh is embossed by a language which is confident in its style” (Prosa)
”The project may be termed as extended writing of social history … His text is scientific and historic, and with a wealth that makes it lush. Through 780 pages we encounter a waterfall of knowledge, a flood of references, illustrations, associations … This is written research of society at its best … Stueland thinks and writes well, and, where a more traditional account of the history of ideas might have been wearisome and embossed by a fetish of facts, Stueland leads us from one striking point to another, through a frantic search for empiric closeness … The publishing house must be praised for publishing such a daring project, a spectacular effort in a time where many publishers are shrinking away from their responsibilities as imparting voices … The text is capable of making you think. And that is a fine deed” (Klassekampen)
”Stueland is driven by an enthusiastic curiosity, and provides the historic essay literature with a much needed lift. The book is a mosaic of story and analysis, based on a number of reference books one suspects the author to have read. Everything is woven together with a sharp associative method. An encyclopaedic madness. More!” (The Critics' Favourites 2009, Aftenposten)
”Excessive masterpiece on the importance of dissection in the western culture” (The Critics' Favourites 2009, VG)
”A more complex and strange project has seldom seen the light of day in this country … Through the flesh is a knowledgeable masterpiece of a book” (Stavanger Aftenblad)
First published: 2009, Oktober
Espen Stueland: Biography and Bibliography
