Foreword by John Banville vii
Introduction 1
1 Valery's Four Bodies Reduced to One Organ: The Uterus 5
2 To Seize the External World, The Body Fantastic Relies on a Stormtrooper: The Stomach 45
3 The Invisible Cloud of Symbols and Myths Around the Body Condenses into Raindrops of Curative Power 73
4 Hair: Is it a Distillate of Human Essence or a Discardable Refuse? 121
5 Our Aquatic Past: The Body Fantastic Dreams of A Return to its Watery Cradle 153
6 The Body Fantastic Walks on Feet of Double Sign: Pain and Pleasure 187
7 To the Body Fantastic, Orality Equals Individuality 215
