The Language Of The Corpse

Among the ancient Germanic peoples there existed a highly developed stream of magical belief and practice devoted to, and stemming directly from, the dead. While it is difficult for the modern mind to understand these beliefs, it was simply an acknowledged matter of fact that a tremendous wellspring of virtuous power dwelt among the physical remains of the once living, be they man or beast, long after the spirit abandons flesh. In this book, the author has gathered together disparate elements of faith, folklore and a multitude of fascinating practices related to the dead. In examining ancient and modern materials among the Teutonic peoples of Europe, we begin to distill an understanding of the powerful significance reserved not only for the revenants of the departed, but their physical remains as well. From the folk charming traditions of the British Isles to the extravagant ritual sacrifices held in medieval Uppsala, Sweden, the book provides the reader a glimpse into to the core strata of the power of the cadaver, and its subsequent role in the sorcerous practices witnessed amongst the European diaspora.

Among the ancient Germanic peoples there existed a highly developed stream of magical belief and practice devoted to, and stemming directly from, the dead. While it is difficult for the modern mind to understand these beliefs, it was simply an acknowledged matter of fact that a tremendous wellspring of virtuous power dwelt among the physical remains of the once living, be they man or beast, long after the spirit abandons flesh. In this book, the author has gathered together disparate elements of faith, folklore and a multitude of fascinating practices related to the dead. In examining ancient and modern materials among the Teutonic peoples of Europe, we begin to distill an understanding of the powerful significance reserved not only for the revenants of the departed, but their physical remains as well. From the folk charming traditions of the British Isles to the extravagant ritual sacrifices held in medieval Uppsala, Sweden, the book provides the reader a glimpse into to the core strata of the power of the cadaver, and its subsequent role in the sorcerous practices witnessed amongst the European diaspora.

A recluse has been shot right between the eyes as he stood looking out of his bedroom window. His neighbor, a schoolteacher who is a pistol shot champion, admits she discovered the body and failed to report it. Is she really guilty of murder?

From the author of Lost Souls, Drawing Blood, and Wormwood comes a thrilling and chilling novel that bestselling author Peter Straub says serves as a “guidebook to hell.” To serial slayer Andrew Compton, murder is an art, the most intimate art. After feigning his own death to escape from prison, Compton makes his way to the United States with the sole ambition of bringing his “art” to new heights. Tortured by his own perverse desires, and drawn to possess and destroy young boys, Compton inadvertently joins forces with Jay Byrne, a dissolute playboy who has pushed his “art” to limits even Compton hadn’t previously imagined. Together, Compton and Byrne set their sights on an exquisite young Vietnamese-American runaway, Tran, whom they deem to be the perfect victim. Swiftly moving from the grimy streets of London’s Piccadilly Circus to the decadence of the New Orleans French Quarter, Poppy Z. Brite dissects the landscape of torture and invites us into the mind of a killer. Exquisite Corpse confirms Brite as a writer who defies categorization. It is a novel for those who dare trespass where the sacred and profane become one.

Focusing on the necrophilic dimension of Pound's poetry and the inflections of materiality enabled by the modernist image, Tiffany finds a continuum between Decadent practice and the avant-garde, between the image's prehistory and its political afterlife, between the "corpse language" of Victorian poetry and a conception of the "radioactive" image

Born into a family of corpse washers, Jawad abandons tradition by enrolling in Baghdad's Academy of Fine Arts to study sculpting, but the conditions caused by Saddam Hussein's oppressive rule force a return home to the family business.

Theatre has provided many words and meanings which we use - ignorant of their origins - in everyday writing and speech. This is the first book to explore 2,000 theatre terms in depth, in some cases tracing their history over two and a half millenia, in others exploring expressions less than a decade old. Terms are defined, shown in use and cross-referenced in ways which will fascinate theatre-goers, help theatre students and encourage those engaged in the theatre to examine the familiar from new angles.

Throughout the centuries, different cultures have established a variety of procedures for handling and disposing of corpses. Often the methods are directly associated with the deceased’s position in life, such as a pharaoh’s mummification in Egypt or the cremation of a Buddhist. Treatment by the living of the dead over time and across cultures is the focus of study. Burial arrangements and preparations are detailed, including embalming, the funeral service, storage and transport of the body, and forms of burial. Autopsies and the investigative process of causes of deliberate death are fully covered. Preservation techniques such as cryonic suspension and mummification are discussed, as well as a look at the “recycling” of the corpse through organ donation, donation to medicine, animal scavengers, cannibalism, and, of course, natural decay and decomposition. Mistreatments of a corpse are also covered.