The rat has been described as the shadow of the human. In this fascinating account of the rat in history, myth, and culture, Jonathan Burt traces the contradictory human relationship with rats from the first archaeological finds to the genetically engineered rats of the present day. He explores the representation of rats in the arts and sciences, religion and myth, and psychoanalysis and medicine, and shows the complex range of human attitudes that the rodent provokes. Using a wide range of examples, including The Pied Piper, Victorian rat-and-dog baiting pits, and the popularity of rats as pets, he asks why humans view rats with particular disgust and how they became a perverse symbol for the worst excesses of human behavior.
