The Melancholy of Anatomy: Stories

An excellent book! Shelley Jackson has been compared to Kathy Acker, but I felt that Jackson was actually a lot more accessible (easy to read) as well as fun. In this collection of stories, body parts or processes are the focus of each story - which sounds creepy and gross, but she actually writes about the things in completely different ways than one would expect. In the Sperm chapter, sperm...more

An excellent book! Shelley Jackson has been compared to Kathy Acker, but I felt that Jackson was actually a lot more accessible (easy to read) as well as fun. In this collection of stories, body parts or processes are the focus of each story - which sounds creepy and gross, but she actually writes about the things in completely different ways than one would expect. In the Sperm chapter, sperm were like roaming buffalo that were nearly extinct at one time but now are so numerous that people use them for everyday recipes or try to keep them as pets. The Blood chapter focused on the city of London having a menstrual flow in underground pipes. Everything that is normally inside the body is sort of outside the body in a new, unusual, and interesting way. Abstract things like sleep became tactile things. It's a fascinating read and very easy to enjoy just on the literal level (looking at each story like a piece of sci-fi or fantasy almost) but it's also not hard to take the leap and think about what larger commentary Jackson might be making by personifying these elements and creating these stories. This was the type of book that made me sad that I don't belong to a book club where I could share it. I really loved this book and have to admit that I wasn't crazy about it at first but once I caught on to what Jackson was doing (and sort of let go of my expectations and prior assumptions for these body parts or elements) then I was able to just set back and have fun with it. I'm totally going to go out and buy my own copy so I can read it again (since I rented it from the library the first time).   hide