The book focuses on the phenomenological understanding of the body through Sarah Kane’s play Cleansed. The three main characters of the play, Tinker, Grace, and Carl, are analyzed and interpreted in relation to their connection with (their) body.

Beyond the plot and the central issues that arise from the play, the text itself forms a body that is raised towards the reader, opening up an ontological dimension which the reader may be able to experience through both the “physical” language and the poetic elements of the text.

The autonomous body of the text emerges like a cry, opening up new horizons and new ways of perceiving things and the world. The reader’s body is shaken and shocked, while at the same time it resonates with the text, thus raising questions about whether true catharsis is ultimately achieved for the readers, the analyzed characters, and the writer herself.