The Wild Body

'The Wild Body: A Soldier of Humour, and Other Stories' is a seminal collection of short fiction and sketches by the modernist polymath Wyndham Lewis. At the heart of these narratives is the recurring figure of Ker-Orr, a self-styled 'soldier of humour' who traverses the rugged landscapes of Brittany. Through Ker-Orr’s analytical and often detached perspective, the work explores the comedic and grotesque friction between the human intellect and the mechanical, primitive impulses of the physical form.In this collection, Lewis introduces and refines his philosophical concept of the 'wild body,' portraying human beings as tragicomic machines driven by repetitive behaviors and eccentric fixations. The prose is sharp, angular, and highly visual, reflecting the author’s background in the avant-garde Vorticist movement. By stripping away sentimentalism, the stories offer a rigorous critique of social interaction and identity. Including notable pieces such as 'Bestre' and 'The Cornac and His Wife,' 'The Wild Body: A Soldier of Humour, and Other Stories' remains a vital contribution to 20th-century literature, providing a unique bridge between satirical tradition and the experimental rigors of modernism.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.