Freak Show

Freak Show

Author: Robert Bogdan

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2014-12-10

Total Pages: 338

ISBN-13: 022622743X

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This cultural history of the travelling freak show in America chronicles the rise and fall of the industry as attitudes about disability evolved. From 1840 until 1940, hundreds of freak shows crisscrossed the United States, from the smallest towns to the largest cities, exhibiting their casts of dwarfs, giants, Siamese twins, bearded ladies, savages, snake charmers, fire eaters, and other oddities. By today’s standards such displays would be considered cruel and exploitative—the pornography of disability. Yet for one hundred years the freak show was widely accepted as one of America’s most popular forms of entertainment. Robert Bogdan’s fascinating social history brings to life the world of the freak show and explores the culture that nurtured and, later, abandoned it. In uncovering this neglected chapter of show business, he describes in detail the flimflam artistry behind the shows, the promoters and the audiences, and the gradual evolution of public opinion from awe to embarrassment. Freaks were not born, Bogdan reveals; they were manufactured by the amusement world, usually with the active participation of the freaks themselves. Many of the "human curiosities" found fame and fortune, until the ascent of professional medicine transformed them from marvels into pathological specimens.


Book Synopsis Freak Show by : Robert Bogdan

Download or read book Freak Show written by Robert Bogdan and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2014-12-10 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This cultural history of the travelling freak show in America chronicles the rise and fall of the industry as attitudes about disability evolved. From 1840 until 1940, hundreds of freak shows crisscrossed the United States, from the smallest towns to the largest cities, exhibiting their casts of dwarfs, giants, Siamese twins, bearded ladies, savages, snake charmers, fire eaters, and other oddities. By today’s standards such displays would be considered cruel and exploitative—the pornography of disability. Yet for one hundred years the freak show was widely accepted as one of America’s most popular forms of entertainment. Robert Bogdan’s fascinating social history brings to life the world of the freak show and explores the culture that nurtured and, later, abandoned it. In uncovering this neglected chapter of show business, he describes in detail the flimflam artistry behind the shows, the promoters and the audiences, and the gradual evolution of public opinion from awe to embarrassment. Freaks were not born, Bogdan reveals; they were manufactured by the amusement world, usually with the active participation of the freaks themselves. Many of the "human curiosities" found fame and fortune, until the ascent of professional medicine transformed them from marvels into pathological specimens.

Some Human Oddities

Some Human Oddities

Author: Eric John Dingwall

Publisher:

Published: 1962

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13:

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Book Synopsis Some Human Oddities by : Eric John Dingwall

Download or read book Some Human Oddities written by Eric John Dingwall and published by . This book was released on 1962 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Human Oddities

Human Oddities

Author: Noria Jablonski

Publisher: Counterpoint

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 142

ISBN-13: 9781593760847

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A collection of short works focuses on a central theme of the human body as a landscape, in a volume that relates the experiences of such characters as separated conjoined twins, drag queens, and hospital orderlies. A first collection. Original.


Book Synopsis Human Oddities by : Noria Jablonski

Download or read book Human Oddities written by Noria Jablonski and published by Counterpoint. This book was released on 2005 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A collection of short works focuses on a central theme of the human body as a landscape, in a volume that relates the experiences of such characters as separated conjoined twins, drag queens, and hospital orderlies. A first collection. Original.

Human Oddities

Human Oddities

Author: Martin Monestier

Publisher:

Published: 1987

Total Pages: 189

ISBN-13: 9780806510217

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Book Synopsis Human Oddities by : Martin Monestier

Download or read book Human Oddities written by Martin Monestier and published by . This book was released on 1987 with total page 189 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Anatomical Oddities: The Otherworldly Realms Hidden within Our Bodies

Anatomical Oddities: The Otherworldly Realms Hidden within Our Bodies

Author: Alice Roberts

Publisher: The Experiment, LLC

Published: 2023-11-07

Total Pages: 412

ISBN-13: 1891011146

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From acclaimed science writer, presenter, and illustrator Alice Roberts, a visual and linguistic adventure through the strange, astonishing worlds within our anatomy Did you know you have cobwebs in your head, hair in your lungs, and snails in your ears? In the world of anatomy, every name paints a picture: from the arachnoid mater, a brain membrane resembling a spider’s web, to the ciliated epithelium of the respiratory tract (from the Latin for “eyelash”) and the curlicue cochleas (from the Greek for “snail”) that power our hearing. Quirky, bizarre, and beautiful, Anatomical Oddities traverses the body’s crypts, islets, and mountains to reveal a secret map of organ, tissue, and bone—complete with peculiar place names (duodenum, from the Greek for “twelve-fingers-long part of the gut”) and overlooked but essential regions (like the orbicularis oculi, the muscle that lets us blink). Featuring stunning original artwork by the author—acclaimed science writer and presenter Alice Roberts— these fifty-seven brief lessons in anatomy lay bare the intricate details of the human body, the history of those who unearthed its secrets, and the rich world of language that gives us form.


Book Synopsis Anatomical Oddities: The Otherworldly Realms Hidden within Our Bodies by : Alice Roberts

Download or read book Anatomical Oddities: The Otherworldly Realms Hidden within Our Bodies written by Alice Roberts and published by The Experiment, LLC. This book was released on 2023-11-07 with total page 412 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From acclaimed science writer, presenter, and illustrator Alice Roberts, a visual and linguistic adventure through the strange, astonishing worlds within our anatomy Did you know you have cobwebs in your head, hair in your lungs, and snails in your ears? In the world of anatomy, every name paints a picture: from the arachnoid mater, a brain membrane resembling a spider’s web, to the ciliated epithelium of the respiratory tract (from the Latin for “eyelash”) and the curlicue cochleas (from the Greek for “snail”) that power our hearing. Quirky, bizarre, and beautiful, Anatomical Oddities traverses the body’s crypts, islets, and mountains to reveal a secret map of organ, tissue, and bone—complete with peculiar place names (duodenum, from the Greek for “twelve-fingers-long part of the gut”) and overlooked but essential regions (like the orbicularis oculi, the muscle that lets us blink). Featuring stunning original artwork by the author—acclaimed science writer and presenter Alice Roberts— these fifty-seven brief lessons in anatomy lay bare the intricate details of the human body, the history of those who unearthed its secrets, and the rich world of language that gives us form.

The Congress of Human Oddities

The Congress of Human Oddities

Author: Teresa Carson

Publisher:

Published: 2015-09-15

Total Pages: 80

ISBN-13: 9780990428794

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Poetry that presents another aspect of Civil War life in the voices of side show characters


Book Synopsis The Congress of Human Oddities by : Teresa Carson

Download or read book The Congress of Human Oddities written by Teresa Carson and published by . This book was released on 2015-09-15 with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Poetry that presents another aspect of Civil War life in the voices of side show characters

The Book of Days

The Book of Days

Author: Robert Chambers

Publisher:

Published: 1863

Total Pages: 852

ISBN-13:

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Book Synopsis The Book of Days by : Robert Chambers

Download or read book The Book of Days written by Robert Chambers and published by . This book was released on 1863 with total page 852 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

A Cabinet of Medical Curiosities

A Cabinet of Medical Curiosities

Author: Jan Bondeson

Publisher: Cornell University Press

Published: 2019-01-24

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 1501733451

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Long ago, curiosities were arranged in cabinets for display: a dried mermaid might be next to a giant's shinbone, the skeletons of conjoined twins beside an Egyptian mummy. In ten essays, Jan Bondeson brings a physician's diagnostic skills to various unexpected, gruesome, and extraordinary aspects of the history of medicine: spontaneous human combustion, colonies of snakes and frogs living in a person's stomach, kings and emperors devoured by lice, vicious tribes of tailed men, and the Two-Headed Boy of Bengal. Bondeson tells the story of Mary Toft, who gained notoriety in 1726 when she allegedly gave birth to seventeen rabbits. King George I, the Prince of Wales, and the court physicians attributed these monstrous births to a "maternal impression" because Mary had longed for a meal of rabbit while pregnant. Bondeson explains that the fallacy of maternal impressions, conspicuous in the novels of Goethe, Sir Walter Scott, and Charles Dickens, has ancient roots in Chinese and Babylonian manuscripts. Bondeson also presents the tragic case of Julia Pastrana, a Mexican Indian woman with thick hair growing over her body and a massive overgrowth of the gums that gave her a simian or ape-like appearance. Called the Ape Woman, she was exhibited all over the world. After her death in 1860, Julia's husband, who had also been her impresario, had her body mummified and continued to exhibit it throughout Europe. Bondeson tracked the mummy down and managed to diagnose Julia Pastrana's condition as the result of a rare genetic syndrome.


Book Synopsis A Cabinet of Medical Curiosities by : Jan Bondeson

Download or read book A Cabinet of Medical Curiosities written by Jan Bondeson and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2019-01-24 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Long ago, curiosities were arranged in cabinets for display: a dried mermaid might be next to a giant's shinbone, the skeletons of conjoined twins beside an Egyptian mummy. In ten essays, Jan Bondeson brings a physician's diagnostic skills to various unexpected, gruesome, and extraordinary aspects of the history of medicine: spontaneous human combustion, colonies of snakes and frogs living in a person's stomach, kings and emperors devoured by lice, vicious tribes of tailed men, and the Two-Headed Boy of Bengal. Bondeson tells the story of Mary Toft, who gained notoriety in 1726 when she allegedly gave birth to seventeen rabbits. King George I, the Prince of Wales, and the court physicians attributed these monstrous births to a "maternal impression" because Mary had longed for a meal of rabbit while pregnant. Bondeson explains that the fallacy of maternal impressions, conspicuous in the novels of Goethe, Sir Walter Scott, and Charles Dickens, has ancient roots in Chinese and Babylonian manuscripts. Bondeson also presents the tragic case of Julia Pastrana, a Mexican Indian woman with thick hair growing over her body and a massive overgrowth of the gums that gave her a simian or ape-like appearance. Called the Ape Woman, she was exhibited all over the world. After her death in 1860, Julia's husband, who had also been her impresario, had her body mummified and continued to exhibit it throughout Europe. Bondeson tracked the mummy down and managed to diagnose Julia Pastrana's condition as the result of a rare genetic syndrome.

Human Oddities

Human Oddities

Author: Noria Jablonski

Publisher: National Geographic Books

Published: 2005-08-30

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 1593760841

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In Human Oddities, we meet Siamese twins, newly separated, drag queens, and seedy hospital orderlies. A corpse washed up on the beach, cancer diagnoses, and tummy tuck operations all intrude abruptly into characters' lives; sadness is interrupted by hilarity. Jablonski's characters cope with the drama of the body and what it means, what it feels like, to be marked as different. If Ludwig Wittgenstein's belief that "the human body is the best picture of the human soul" is right, what does that say about the diseased body, the less–than–perfect body? Without flinching, Noria Jablonski shows us the passions and longings of her characters, made more vivid by their bodies in doubt, on hold, in transit. Her earthy, pungent characters and deadpan narrative style leave their mark on a reader. With the blunt, gritty impact of a Diane Arbus photograph, these are stories of lives not commonly recorded, and the characters—often physically unique, some might say monstrous—are delivered with compassion, dignity, and a hopeful, therapeutic humor. Brought to light, they deepen our understanding of the human condition, revealing us to ourselves.


Book Synopsis Human Oddities by : Noria Jablonski

Download or read book Human Oddities written by Noria Jablonski and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 2005-08-30 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Human Oddities, we meet Siamese twins, newly separated, drag queens, and seedy hospital orderlies. A corpse washed up on the beach, cancer diagnoses, and tummy tuck operations all intrude abruptly into characters' lives; sadness is interrupted by hilarity. Jablonski's characters cope with the drama of the body and what it means, what it feels like, to be marked as different. If Ludwig Wittgenstein's belief that "the human body is the best picture of the human soul" is right, what does that say about the diseased body, the less–than–perfect body? Without flinching, Noria Jablonski shows us the passions and longings of her characters, made more vivid by their bodies in doubt, on hold, in transit. Her earthy, pungent characters and deadpan narrative style leave their mark on a reader. With the blunt, gritty impact of a Diane Arbus photograph, these are stories of lives not commonly recorded, and the characters—often physically unique, some might say monstrous—are delivered with compassion, dignity, and a hopeful, therapeutic humor. Brought to light, they deepen our understanding of the human condition, revealing us to ourselves.

Assimilation, Love, and Other Human Oddities

Assimilation, Love, and Other Human Oddities

Author: Lyn Gala

Publisher: Lyn Gala

Published: 2018-05-19

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 9781393325611

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Ondry and Liam have settled into a good life, but their trading is still tied up with humans, and humans are always messy. When political changes at the human base lead Ondry to attempt a difficult trade, the pair find themselves entangled in human affairs. Liam wants to help the people he left and the worlds being torn apart. He also wants to serve Ondry with not only the pleasures of the nest but also by bringing human profits. Ondry has no hope of understanding human psychology in general, he only knows that he will hold onto his palteia with the last breath in his body, and he'd like to keep his status and his wealth too. Unfortunately, new humans bring new conflicts and he is not sure how to protect Liam. He does know one thing that humans seem to constantly forget--that the peaceful Rownt are predators and when their families are threatened, Rownt become deadly killers. Liam is his family, and Ondry will protect him with his last breath... assuming that he can recognize the dangers in time to do so.


Book Synopsis Assimilation, Love, and Other Human Oddities by : Lyn Gala

Download or read book Assimilation, Love, and Other Human Oddities written by Lyn Gala and published by Lyn Gala. This book was released on 2018-05-19 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ondry and Liam have settled into a good life, but their trading is still tied up with humans, and humans are always messy. When political changes at the human base lead Ondry to attempt a difficult trade, the pair find themselves entangled in human affairs. Liam wants to help the people he left and the worlds being torn apart. He also wants to serve Ondry with not only the pleasures of the nest but also by bringing human profits. Ondry has no hope of understanding human psychology in general, he only knows that he will hold onto his palteia with the last breath in his body, and he'd like to keep his status and his wealth too. Unfortunately, new humans bring new conflicts and he is not sure how to protect Liam. He does know one thing that humans seem to constantly forget--that the peaceful Rownt are predators and when their families are threatened, Rownt become deadly killers. Liam is his family, and Ondry will protect him with his last breath... assuming that he can recognize the dangers in time to do so.