Flesh in the Age of Reason'As an introduction to early modern thinking and the impact of past ideas on present lives, this book can find few equals and no superiors. Porter is a witty, humane writer with an extraordinary vocabulary and a sparkling sense of fun. Whether he is quoting from obscure medical texts or analysing scabrous diaries, dishing the dirt on long-dead bigwigs or evoking sympathy for human suffering, his grasp is masterly and his erudition appealing. I wish I could read it again for the first time: you can.' Times Educational Supplement, Book of the Week |
Contents
MEDICINE AND THE BODY | |
THE RATIONAL SELF | |
SCIENCE RESCUES THE SPIRIT | |
JOHN LOCKE REWRITES THE SOUL | |
THE POLITE SELF IN THE POLITE BODY | |
NIGHTMARE SELVES 10 JOHNSON AND INCORPORATED MINDS 11 EDWARD GIBBON FAME AND MORTALITY | |