Over Her Dead Body

Over Her Dead Body is a cultural-studies analysis of the history of the female corpse in Western art and literature, tracing how depictions of dead women have been used to construct and police female sexuality and agency from the Renaissance through the 19th century. Elisabeth Bronfen examines the iconography of the dead woman — from the Renaissance to the 19th century — and argues that the representation of the female corpse has historically served to reinforce patriarchal control over women's bodies. The book draws on art history, literary criticism, and feminist theory to show how depictions of dead women have been used to police female sexuality and agency. A dense, thought-provoking work of cultural criticism.