In 14 highly entertaining, often provocative essays, Dutch cardiologist Dunning probes the extremes of human behavior. He contrasts two individuals burnt at the stake--saintly Joan of Arc, driven by hallucinated voices, and her contemporary, Gilles de Rais, a bestial mass murderer who sodomized and killed 150 boys. Dunning ponders how country lass Charlotte Corday, the picture of rosy innocence, cold-bloodedly stabbed to death mass executioner Jean-Paul Marat, symbol of the French Revolution's bloodthirstiness. An extraordinary gallery of geniuses, addicts, martyrs, criminals and lunatics, these gracefully written essays feature tormented composer Gustav Mahler discussing his marital problems with Sigmund Freud; blind Louis Braille inventing the alphabet named after him; French 17th-century saint Marguerite Marie, who had visions of Christ performing a heart transplant operation on her; and drunken poet Paul Verlaine shooting his friend Arthur Rimbaud. Other pieces discuss anorexia nervosa, the castrato's rise and fall in the opera world, the Battle of the Somme, unisexual lizards and virgin birth.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A kind of history of the heart by Dutch cardiologist Dunning, who takes us on a doctor's literary tour of that organ in extreme states. Some of Dunning's tyings together of humanity's involvement with the heart seem forced dilations that allow him to pour and mix his rich research at will. But chapter after chapter holds its own and gathers us into a state of mystical realism. One could hardly expect to find a tie between the burning of Joan of Arc and the hanging of sexual pervert and mass-murderer Gilles de Rais, who were contemporaries. But Joan's heart, it is said by one chronicler, survived her burning, and Gilles's heart was extracted before his hung corpse was placed upon a funeral pyre. Both pyres, Dunning says, ``flare up briefly in the darkness of the Middle Ages [and] represent the outer limits of human conduct.'' We follow the birth of the adoration of the Sacred Heart of Jesus through its origins with the French nun Marguerite Marie Alacoque, a religious anorexic who saw Jesus place her heart in his own empty chest-- which Dunning ties in with medical investigations of heart disease and heart transplants. His exploration of the diseased heart of Gustav Mahler--weak with streptococcal bacteria--gives Dunning his richest chapter, as he relates Mahler's compositions, his strained love life with Alma Mahler (half his age), and his visit to Freud for an analysis that revealed the source of Mahler's neurotic suffering as an artist: His most sublime melodies were forever being invaded by banal street tunes, a fact that Freud traced back to Mahler's childhood, his abused mother, and a street organ playing ``Ach, du lieber Augustin.'' Also discussed: Rembrandt's The Anatomy Lesson, Baudelaire's artificial paradise in absinthe, cannibalism in Poe, and much more. A brilliant unpacking of an extremely overfilled mind. -- Copyright �1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Store Description

Located in the Greater Birmingham area of central Alabama, our store offers for sale via mail order and through the internet, almost entirely to customers found through Internet contacts, thousands of books and other media of both popular and academic research interest. Focusing primarily on non-fiction books, we have a high concentration of items in such subjects as political science, philosophy, economics, religion and theology, science, literature and literary criticism, Alabama and Southern history,the American Civil War, Military History and War, Americana and many more such areas. We have many items pertaining to ideology, whether it be conservatism, libertarianism, free market economics, socialism, or communism, including many congressional reports on communist activities. We also have quite a few reference books, especially bibliographies.

Visit Seller's Storefront

Seller's business information

Sessions Book Sales
AL, U.S.A.

Sale & Shipping Terms

Terms of Sale

AbeBooks processes payments throiugh the use of bank and credit cards; this is for both orders received from customers residing in the US as well as customers from outside the US. We do not have separate credit card services. If you would like to use some other means for paying for your purchases we accept Paypal, checks, cash and money orders (applies to US residents). For international orders we accept Paypal, American currency (cash) and International Postal Money Orders, all in American doll...

More Information

Shipping Terms

Orders usually ship within 2 business days. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required. For orders to residents in the US, we have a standard media mail fee of $3.99, with $1 per book for each additional item. Standard priority shipping is $7.35, with an additional $2 for each additional item added to the order. We will include insurance on any purchase amounting to $50 or more. In terms of packaging, we generally use several layers of packaging to protect the items from damage. In some cases we will add cardboard or boxes for additional protection. Most book orders weigh roughly one to three pounds, except in the cases where multiple books are ordered. With regard to orders destined for addresses outside the US, we offer two choices--international first class and international priority. The weight limit on international first class is four pounds. If your order weighs more than four pounds or otherwise does not fit with US Postal Service regulations then your only other option is international priority. Concerning priority shipping, the rate charged varies from one country to the next. Items that are heavier or otherwise larger than normal will of course cost more to ship. We will advise you of any potential increases in shipping rates before proceeding any further with fulfillment with your order.

Shipping rates within U.S.A.

Shipping rates within U.S.A.
Order quantity	5 to 14 business days	3 to 6 business days
First item	US$ 4.35	US$ 9.90

Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.