Freaks: Myths and images of the secret self (A Touchstone book) [Hardcover]

Leslie A Fiedler (Author)

Book Description

Series: A Touchstone book | Publication Date: 1979

From two-headed men and dwarfs to Siamese twins, the phenomenon of the freak has fascinated people for centuries. In this classic study of the very nature of that fascination, the renowned literary and cultural critic Fiedler offers an in-depth examination of man's views of the freak from classical times to present. 150 photos and line drawings.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A fascinating, sensitive exploration of freakishness and what it means in our waking and subconscious lives--in literature, popular culture, myth, history and as symbol in the psyche. Illustrations.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

"Witty, erudite, outrageously imaginative, Freaks is a sober historical survey of social responses to physical abnormality," said LJ 's reviewer of this 1978 title. Fiedler traces the history of the freak from ancient art and folklore to more modern times. Though "its morbidity may shock, its lively intelligence cannot fail to stimulate any serious reader" ( LJ 3/15/78).
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 367 pages
• Publisher: Simon and Schuster; 1st Touchstone ed edition (1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671225057
• ISBN-13: 978-0671225056
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,613,266 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An important literary and cultural history, May 12, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Freaks: Myths and Images of the Secret Self (Paperback)

Fiedler's largely psychoanalytic history of the exhibition of the "differently abled" {deformed, disabled, grotesque, or freak] provides excellent material for anyone interested in the freak phenomenon. Although dated, this work has a very helpful history of freak shows, containing historical photos.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One sitting, July 19, 2003

By 

tzefirah "tzefirah" (Media, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Freaks: Myths and images of the secret self (A Touchstone book) (Hardcover)

I sat and read this book in one sitting, completely ignoring the party that was going on around me. I couldn't stop feeding my own and Fiedler's fascination for people who would fall into the "Freaks" category for whatever reason.

Fiedler, who had an unnatural feeling his whole life that he had a missing twin, had such an obsession with the history and humanity of freaks, he finally had to quench it by writing this book.

The book is a history of freaks before surgery made it possible for many of them to have the appearance of normalcy. It's also the story of their humanity and their struggles to survive under difficult and often unkind conditions. I came away with a much deeper understanding of what it means to be human, in any and all forms. I found myself seeing everyone as normal, rather than as "other."

If you've always had a hidden passion to understand what is typically considered unnatural, I recommend this book. Ultimately, people are people.