In Thomson's "From Wonder to Error", she discusses the presence of "freaks" in mythology and how this induces thoughts about what separates man from beast. She then goes into great detail about the appearance of "freaks" in dime musuems during the Nineteenth century. During this time, teratology, the study, classification, and manipulation of monstrous bodies, was developed. A lot of this textwas about how people with abnormalities are regarded as "freaks" and the circuses and freak shows that have exploited these people for entertainment purposes, especially during the Industrial Revolution and modernization of the early Twentieth century.

Key terms:
anomalous body- a body that isn't considered normal from other bodies.
lusus naturae- freak of nature.


Questions?
Why do people find the bizarre so interesting?
How do people decide what is human and what isn't?
How do you think circuses have changed since their first appearance?