Wonders and the Order of Nature, 1150-1750

Part 1 The topography of wonder: marvels on the margins wonders of creation prodigious individuals and marvellous kinds wonder and belief. Part 2 The properties of things: collecting wonders artificial marvels wonders at court. Part 3 Wonder among the philosophers: the philosophers against wonder curiosity and the preternatural making wonders cease. Part 4 marvellous particulars: marvellous therapeutics preternatural history preternatural philosophy. Part 5 Monsters - a case study: horror - monsters as prodigies pleasure - monsters as sport repugnance - monsters as errors. Part 6 Strange facts: Baconian reforms strange facts in learned societies the sociability of strange facts the credibility of strange facts. Part 7 Wonders of art, wonders of nature: art and nature opposed the wonders of art and nature displayed the wonders of art and nature conjoined nature as artist, nature as art. Part 8 The passions of inquiry: ravening curiosity wonder and curiosity allied gawking wonder. Part 9 The enlightenment and the anti-marvellous: the unholy Trinity - enthusiasms, superstition, imagination vulgarity and the love of the marvellous nature's decorum the wistful counter-enlightenment.