Flesh and Blood: The History of the Cannibal Complex [Paperback]

Reay Tannahill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1997

In Flesh and Blood, Reay Tannahill explores the age-old practice of cannibalism. the author-of previous studies on eating and sex, she takes us on a fascinating historical tour of this darkest of gastronomic compulsions -- including a section on the recent upsurge in cannibalism-themed horror fiction and a study of serial killer cannibals such as Jeffrey Dahmer.

At the dawn of man, the consumption of human flesh and blood was a legitimate ritual practiced by ancient Babylonians and Aztecs alike. The recent media focus may have brought cannibalism into the public eye, but the practice has never wholly left society and still echoes in religious traditions such as the Christian Eucharist.

Here is a book that is sure to feed into our current fascination with people who eat people.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316837059
• ISBN-13: 978-0316837057
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #782,664 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Repetetive but enlightening, November 8, 2008

By 

william Bessmer "Remember kids, gangrape is bad" (South Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flesh and Blood: The History of the Cannibal Complex (Paperback)

This nonfiction piece follows the history and literary aspects of the most taboo eating derivation humankind can think of: cannibalism. Extensive time is spent expatiating the history of vampirism. The overarching theme of the book is the fact that xenophobic claims of cannibalism were a tool used by early explorers to 1.) secure more funding for missionary work amongst far flung parts of the world (not Europe) and 2.) aid in cognitive dissonance for the extermination of native peoples that they encountered.

The book is very expansive in what it covers. Recently, the hypothesis that no culture consistently participated in the commonplace cannibalistic acts, but did so only ceremonially/religiously. The book highlights the fact that famine drove many people to adopt temporary cannibalistic acts, and thus has some excellent first person quotes of the starvation induced depravity. Between cataloging these two aspects it becomes apparent that cannibalism is a part of the human condition, be it through transmogrification at church, stories of how bad it is somewhere else, or the newest zombie/vampire craze.

The book needs an update. The prion disease of Papua New Guinean caused by consumption of human brains was omitted and would have thoroughly debunked the "no societal cannibalism" hypothesis. Cannibalism in other closely related primates could have made a good comparative evolutionary psychology themed chapter.

The book is slowed by copious (and sometimes snarky) footnotes.