Lustmord: Sexual Murder in Weimar Germany

by Maria Tatar

Book Overview

In a book that confronts our society's obsession with sexual violence, Maria Tatar seeks the meaning behind one of the most disturbing images of twentieth-century Western culture: the violated female corpse. This image is so prevalent in painting, literature, film, and, most recently, in mass media, that we rarely question what is at stake in its representation. Tatar, however, challenges us to consider what is taking place--both artistically and...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0691015902
• ISBN13: 9780691015903
• Release Date: May 1997
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Length: 213 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Interesting and vivid look at sexualized violence in Weimar Germany

This is a fascinating book that deals with sex and violence during the Weimar republic in Germany (1919-1933). This is not a book for the lay person, it's an academic study. I found it extremely interesting, and at times disturbing. It's primarily an academic text, however I found it interesting and accessible even though this historical period is not one that I've studied.

cogent analysis of violence in an out of control culture

I picked this book up at a used bookstore on a whim and found it rivetting. It is an incredible read becuase the author doesn't try to sensationalize the material. She has found some incredible material and makes it relevant to what is going on today. Some of the pictures are really upsetting but I think the author wants to make a point about what we accept as art.

Excellent Journey into the Minds of Men

Fascinating book that looks at the art of Germany after World War 1 and discusses the implication of the sexually violent images that increased dramatically at that point in history. This is a sociological look at the connection between the culture of the times and the idiosyncrasies that produced such a mindset. Pat Brown/Director/Investigative Criminal Profiler/The Sexual Homicide Exchange, Inc.

Odd, yet interesting

This book is first and foremost of great interest to students of the arts, illustrating the social climate in which German artists between the World Wars worked and its effect on their art. Additionally, it should also interest hard core true crime buffs. There are plenty of interesting tidbits about Peter Kurten and Fritz Haarman, two of Germany's most twisted citizens, and it is fascinating to see how their crimes influenced German attitudes, reflected in the violent art that the region produced. One could draw parallels to modern American society's current attitudes towards serial killers, but that's another book entirely.