Bodies mangled, limbs broken, skin flayed, blood spilled: from paintings to prints to small sculptures, the art of the late Middle Ages and early modern period gave rise to disturbing scenes of violence. Many of these torture scenes recall Christ?s Passion and its aftermath, but the martyrdoms of saints, stories of justice visited on the wicked, and broadsheet reports of the atrocities of war provided fertile ground for scenes of the body?s desecration. Contributors to this volume interpret pain, suffering, and the desecration of the human form not simply as the passing fancies of a cadre of proto-sadists, but also as serving larger social functions within European society. Taking advantage of the frameworks established by scholars such as Samuel Edgerton, Mitchell Merback, and Elaine Scarry (to name but a few), Death, Torture and the Broken Body in European Art, 1300-1650 provides an intriguing set of lenses through which to view such imagery and locate it within its wider social, political, and devotional contexts. Though the art works discussed are centuries old, the topics of the essays resonate today as twenty-first-century Western society is still absorbed in thorny debates about the ethics and consequences of the use of force, coercion (including torture), and execution, and about whether it is ever fully acceptable to write social norms on the bodies of those who will not conform.

Lonely Planet Japan is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Explore a bamboo grove in Arashiyama, marvel at Shinto and Buddhist architecture in Kyoto, or relax in the hot springs of Noboribetsu Onsen; all with your trusted travel companion.

THE STORY: Adapted from the story by Mary Orr, on which the film All About Eve and the hit musical APPLAUSE were based. An engrossing and revealing inside story of life in New York's theatre world, told in terms of an unscrupulous ingenue's rise to Broa

A “touching and humorous” paranormal romance (RT Book Reviews) from a New York Times bestselling author: Cat shifter Prince Quinn is on the prowl when he meets intelligence operative Tori Elliot, a human who claims to be immune to his charms. Can they keep their relationship strictly professional… or will their animal instincts take over? Cat shifter Prince Quinn isn’t looking for a serious relationship. In fact, he’s never even considered it. He’s content to enjoy life to the fullest, never taking anything but his royal duties seriously. However, when a new scientist arrives on his planet to test for biological weapons, he can’t seem to stay away from her. Dr. Tori Elliot is at the palace to do a job and no matter what she’s going to act like a professional… which means not succumbing to the seductively playful alpha male prince. Cat-Shifter Paranormal Sci Fi Fantasy Romance Book Two of the Lords of the Var® series by NY Times and USA TODAY Bestselling Author, Michelle M. Pillow. 5 Stars! "Ms. Pillow weaves love into a tale of survival with a generous portion of humor. ... written with a style uniquely belonging to the author." Candy, Coffee Time Review ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ About Lords of the Var Series The cat-shifter princes were raised to not believe in love, especially love for one woman, and they will do everything in their power to live up to their father’s expectations. Oh, how the mighty will fall. Praise For The Playful Prince "Readers will enjoy this return to planet Qurilixen for the entertaining story of a second Var prince. Some of the characters may be familiar, but the love story is not; this is a brand-new adventure..touching and humorous. The plot twists will entertain old and new readers alike." Romantic Times Magazine 5 STARS! "Michelle Pillow has the ability to weave her skillfully written words into an extraordinary story..an emotional storyline which is sensually stunning and adds an intriguing mystery to the mix, I was held captive by every word in this book. The Playful Prince proves thatMs. Pillow is a premier writer of passionate romances." EcataRomance Reviews 5 STARS! "Ms. Pillow weaves love into a tale of survival with a generous portion of humor. ... written with a style uniquely belonging to the author." Candy, Coffee Time Review 9/10 "The Playful Prince has been very well written by Michelle M Pillow, her style, particularly her 'swear word', being rather unique.This story occasionally brings a smile of happiness to your face, and sometimes a frown of worry, but you will always be engrossed in the storyline. Ms Pillow is definitely an author to look out for!" Novelspot Reviews Lords of the Var series: The Savage King The Playful Prince The Bound Prince The Rogue Prince The Pirate Prince A Qurilixen World Novel The Qurilixen World is an extensive collection of paranormal, fantasy, and science fiction romance novels by award-winning author, Michelle M. Pillow, and includes several series installments: Dragon Lords, Lords of the Var®, Space Lords, Captured by a Dragon-shifter, Galaxy Alien Mail Order Brides, Dynasty Lords, Qurilixen Lords, and more. Topics: Shapeshifter, Paranormal, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fated Mate, Alpha Male, Alien Romance, futuristic romance, comedy, shapeshifter romance, cat shifter, Science Fiction & Fantasy, prince, Dragon Romance, futuristic, Shifter Romance, Sci-Fi, Alien Romance, Paranormal Romance, nobility, royalty, action and adventure, romantic comedy, fantasy, sci-fi, First Contact, hea, humorous romance, romantic adventure, sfr, space exploration, werepanther, panther shifter, kick ass heroine, first contact romance, big cat, big cat romance, dragon shifter, kick butt chick, space romance. Perfect for fans of Gena Showalter, Laurann Dohner, Charlene Hartnady, Darynda Jones, S. E. Smith, Evangeline Anderson, Christine Feehan, Donna Grant, Rebecca Zanetti, Anna Hackett, JR Ward, Kresley Cole, Lynsay Sands, Nalini Singh, Genevieve Jack, Felicity Heaton, Jennifer L Armentrout, Carrie Ann Ryan, Elizabeth Hunter, Patricia Briggs, Laurell K. Hamilton, Lora Leigh, Alisa Woods.

Within the origin of one of the world’s most iconic superheroes hides a fascinating family story—and a crucial history of feminism in the twentieth-century. “Everything you might want in a page-turner … skeletons in the closet, a believe-it-or-not weirdness in its biographical details, and something else that secretly powers even the most “serious” feminist history—fun.” —Entertainment Weekly The Secret History of Wonder Woman is a tour de force of intellectual and cultural history. Wonder Woman, Jill Lepore argues, is the missing link in the history of the struggle for women’s rights—a chain of events that begins with the women’s suffrage campaigns of the early 1900s and ends with the troubled place of feminism a century later. Lepore, a Harvard historian and New Yorker staff writer, has uncovered an astonishing trove of documents, including the never-before-seen private papers of Wonder Woman’s creator, William Moulton Marston. The Marston family story is a tale of drama, intrigue, and irony. In the 1920s, Marston and his wife brought into their home Olive Byrne, the niece of Margaret Sanger, one of the most influential feminists of the twentieth century. Even while celebrating conventional family life in a regular column that Marston and Byrne wrote for Family Circle, they themselves pursued lives of extraordinary nonconformity. Marston, internationally known as an expert on truth—he invented the lie detector test—lived a life of secrets, only to spill them on the pages of Wonder Woman. Includes a new afterword with fresh revelations based on never before seen letters and photographs from the Marston family’s papers, and 161 illustrations and 16 pages in full color.