In introducing this collection of 11 essays examining bodies as a medium of modern Italian culture, Polezzi (Italian studies, U. of Warwick, UK) and Ross (Italian studies, U. of Birmingham, UK)
cite the postmodern concept of the body as a cultural construction. The wide-ranging treatments embody Fascist-era and contemporary gender and racial ideals, views of the female and male body
and sexuality in literature (e.g., Isabella Santacroce's novels) and the visual arts (e.g., Pasolini's films), and the application of X-rays to the bones of saints and Dante to verify cultural
ancestry. Distributed by Associated University Presses. Annotation 穢2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
