Title page-Dances with Spiders; Contents; List of Illustrations; Acknowledgements; Preface; Introduction; Part I-Past and Present Spider Webs; Ch 1-Seeking St Paul; Ch 2-Webs through Time; Part Ii-The Spider's Cult Today; Ch 3-Curing Myths and fictive cures; Ch 4-Ads and antidotes; Ch 5-Sensing Identities and Well-being; Part Iii-From Ritual to Limelight; Ch 6-Spider WoMen transfixed; Ch 7-Tarantula threads and showbiz airs; Ch 8-Spider WoMen transformed; Part Iv-Conclusion; Ch 9-Dancing Beyond Spiders; Epilogue; Bibliography; Filmography; Index
Summary
For centuries, the rite of the tarantula was the only cure for those 'bitten' or 'possessed' by the mythic Apulian spider. Its victims had to dance to the local tarantella or 'pizzica' for days on end. Today, the pizzica has returned to the limelight, bringing to the forefront issues of performance, gender, identity and well-being. This book explores how and why the pizzica has boomed in the Salento and elsewhere and asks whether this current popu- larity has anything to do with the historic ritual of tarantism or with the intention of recovering well-being. While personal stories and experien
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 221-238), filmography (p. 239) , and index
